Produced by Charlene Taylor, Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber’s Notes Text printed in bold face in the original work has been transcribed between tildes, as in ~text~. Italics text has been transcribed as _text_. Small capitals have been replaced by ALL CAPITALS. More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text. CLIMATE AND HEALTH IN HOT COUNTRIES AND THE OUTLINES OF TROPICAL CLIMATOLOGY _A Popular Treatise on Personal Hygiene in the Hotter Parts of the World, and on the Climates that will be met with within them_ BY LIEUT.-COL. G. M. GILES, M.B., F.R.C.S. _Indian Medical Service (Retd.)_ AUTHOR OF “A HANDBOOK OF THE GNATS OR MOSQUITOES,” “KALA AZAR,” AND “BERI-BERI,” &C., &C. NEW YORK WILLIAM WOOD AND COMPANY MDCCCCV INTRODUCTION. A hundred years ago a prolonged residence in the Tropics was regarded with well-founded horror. The best the white settler in the lands of the sun dared hope for was “a short life and a merry one,” but too often the merriment was sadly lacking. When Clive’s father made interest to get his son a writership under “Old John Company,” and packed off the troublesome lad to India, he probably regarded it as a last resource, and felt much as if he had signed the youth’s doom; but an age that hanged for sheep-stealing, or less, was like to be stern in its dealings with its children. We know now that what the father took for vice was but evidence of the superabundant vitality of a genius, and being one, Clive naturally possessed the originality to modify his habits to his new surroundings, and so survived to become an Empire-builder and hero. Nor was the case exceptional, for looking back on the history of our great Indian dependency, one cannot fail to be struck with the high average ability of the few who survived to attain leading positions.