Peasants deliberately maimed themselves to escape conscription

Evidence

When the fellahin saw that open revolt and group desertion were ineffectual in evading the conscription gangs of the Pasha they resorted to individual acts of rebellion. One such method was to maim themselves deliberately so as to be declared medically unfit for service. The exact ways of maiming and the government response to it will be dealt with in chapter 6 below; suffice it to say here that the most common techniques employed were chopping off the index finger, pulling the front teeth and/or putting rat poison in one’s eye so as to blind oneself hopefully only temporarily. When the extent of these practices became “very common” the Pasha resolved to punish the mutilated men and their accomplices severely by sending them to prison for life, as well as conscripting their relatives instead of them. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 474