ABSTRACT
Closelyassociatedwithmedicineisthesecondtopiccontainedin thosereports,namely,touring.TouringtookplacewithintheBahrain IslandsaswellasacrosstheGulfintomainlandArabia,especially alongitseasterncoast.Inbothcasesthetouringmedicalteamvisited villagesandtowns,offeringhealthcaretoinhabitantswhowere unabletomakethejourneytothehospitalanddispensaryin Manama.ReportsofvisitstothelocalvillagesinBahrainitself interestthehistorianofsocialdevelopmentandchangeinmodern times.7ThefollowingisabriefsynopsisofatourofBahrainivillages asobservedbyDrHallVanVlack,MD,in1915:
WetouredsomelargevillagesontheislandofBahreinthat wereseldomvisited,touringwiththetent,bydonkeyandby footfortwoweeks.Rifahwasourfirststopsomeninemiles fromMenamah...Itisonahighrockyhillwithabsolutelyno vegetationexceptinthetwosmallgardensaboutthetwo sweet-waterwells.Thesewellsarethewonderoftheisland... alloftheotherwellsaremoreorless(mostlymore)salty. Thesewellsarecutoutofsolidrocktoadepthof150feetand about20feetacross.
