Posted by John Wilson on September 07, 2011 at 04:41:07 user hugo.
Agatha Christie Malloran writes of a call from a sheik in northern Syria who has a friend with a “bad eye”; it is a “gory mess” and the sheik says “His friend is going into Alep. Will we give him a letter to Dr. Altounyan there?”. Her husband Max Malloran agrees, though the sheik has difficulty recalling the name of his “dear friend and relation”.
Max Malloran is excavating a mound or tell at Chagar Bazar; this must be about 1936 as she mentions King Edward the Eighth and Mrs Simpson (page 119). Agatha Christie started ‘Come, tell me how you live’ about life on an archaeological dig in the 1930s though it was not published till 1946, and reprinted in 1983 (pub. The Bodley Head). The expedition was asked to provide the locals with medical care and she writes later (page 175) about how Guilford (an architect) doctored with iodine, Susan’s universal remedy. A sheik’s son puts a hole in his head from a car overturning and Guildford fills it with iodine. After staggering about, reeling with pain he gasps “ … fire indeed, It is wonderful .. fire, fire indeed”. After four days the wound is healing rapidly, and the sheik’s son is disappointed that no more iodine is applied!.
Agatha Christie also wrote that she tried to make herself like cigarettes by smoking two a day for six months but does not succeed; likewise with alcohol, so Max has the battle of obtaining water for her in restaraunts (page 46).