An Investigation into a Medical Report on Typhoid in Shiraz in 1322 Solar Hijri (1943 AD)

Abstract

The Second World War brought many calamities on Iran, one of which was the spread of contagious diseases. The climax of the epidemic diseases was between the years 1320 (1941) and 1322 (1943). The disease spread mostly in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The fatality rate, however, was not as high as other cities. This was due to the availability of more medical facilities in the capital. The people of Shiraz were also inflicted with typhoid and typhus, the former causing the most fatalities, though. The greatest death toll from typhoid was in the year 1322 (1943) in Shiraz. This paper studied a medical document dated 1321 (1942) reporting on the spread of the two diseases. The document belongs to the Fars province high commissioner of medical hygiene. The report gives an account of water distribution centers, calling for some preventive measures. The outbreak of typhoid in the city shows that the governmental authorities have neglected the warnings given in the report, resulting in the death of numerous people.