ABSTRACT
In September 1846 the Persian cholera epidemic reached Baghdad, and Rawlinson felt obliged to move his entire household south of the city to Ctesiphon, where a town of tents was set up in the shadow of the colossal ruins of the ancient Sasanian palace on the Tigris. In the opinion of the major the epidemic was not severe, since two-thirds, perhaps more, of the people infected recovered, but the situation could quickly change for the worse. In Tehran at least 12,000 had died from the disease, and Rawlinson's staff had in fact been touched before he moved out of the city. By the end of October the situation was again getting under control in Baghdad, with now only fifteen deaths a day as compared to one hundred and sixty or one hundred and seventy when the epidemic was at its peak. However, the cholera was now on its way to Mosul and Dr Ross sent Layard detailed instructions on how to avoid getting infected. Rawlinson's advice was ‘stimulants of all kinds internally & warm applications externally’.
