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 Within Them.Giles, George Michael James
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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 Within Them.
Giles, George Michael James
Hygiene -- Popular works; Medical climatology; Tropical medicine
It is a well-known fact that, even where the drug appears to fail to
cure the disease, it is very difficult to find the malarial parasite in
the blood of cases that have been well dosed with the drug, and as there
must be parasites present in the blood itself in order to convey
infection to the mosquito, it is obvious that, apart from its curative
action, quinine may also be said to act as a disinfectant. On this
account, where the removal of a servant “down with fever” cannot be
arranged, it is highly important that he should be liberally dosed with
quinine; and it must be remembered that it is not sufficient to supply
him with the drug, but that it is also necessary to see it taken. In
some countries, the native is so truly a child in intellect, that he has
to be treated like one if a bitter drug is to be administered; while the
Indian, though in no way wanting in intelligence, has often a prejudice
against quinine owing to the active propaganda against the drug preached
by the Baids and Haqims, or practitioners of the indigenous systems of
medicine. As a matter of fact, I believe these men use quinine largely,
but they take care not to let their patients know they are taking a drug
which can be got for a halfpenny a full dose at any post office, and try
to prevent the spoiling of their market by promulgating all sorts of
fables as to its dangerous and harmful character.
According to the queer phraseology in vogue amongst these folks--and it
is not so long ago since it was employed also in Europe--fever is a cold
disease which by an attractive paradox should be treated by cold remedy,
while quinine is made to belong to the opposite category of medicinal
agents. It is as well, then, to be prepared for objections of this sort;
but, as a rule, the personal influence of an European employer will
suffice to secure the taking of the medicine, provided he will take the
trouble to personally see it swallowed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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 Within Them. — John Shaqi
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