A traveller should be supplied with suitable housing, food and clothing,
and should have a proper supply of medicines, dressings, and medical
comforts.
In selecting the drugs with which the traveller should be provided before
leaving home care should be taken to see that only reliable products be
purchased. In the tropics, and in exploration generally, the medical
outfit is subjected to very severe tests, and it is a mistaken policy to
economise on medicines. The latter should be as portable as possible and
be properly packed.
_Risks to Health in a Tropical Climate._
Seeing that these hints will be chiefly required by travellers in
tropical or sub-tropical climates, it may be well to indicate some of
the chief risks which are to be met with in warm climates, and the best
methods of meeting them.
It will be noted that any detailed reference to questions of outfit, such
as the supply of proper food or clothing, is omitted, as these matters
have been fully dealt with in ‘Hints on Outfit,’ published by the Royal
Geographical Society uniformly with this ‘Hints to Travellers,’ and it is
understood that this work will be consulted by all who read these hints.
_Chill._—The most prominent feature of a tropical climate is undoubtedly
heat, and yet the greatest risk arises not so much from excessive
high temperature as from a risk of chill, which is due mainly to the
excessive perspiration which takes place. This must be guarded against
by the use of proper clothing, the most important point being that
the underclothing should be partly of absorbent material. For general
use cotton is best, and the vest or undershirt should in the tropics
be of the Aertex Cellular type. It is a mistake to wear wool next the
skin in hot countries, for it soon gets sodden with perspiration and
is irritating. A light flannel shirt worn over the open cotton mesh is
probably the best arrangement though a mixture of wool and cotton may be
employed for the shirting. This question is fully dealt with in ‘Hints
on Outfit.’ It is particularly important to avoid sudden changes of
temperature, and if exposed to the cooling sea breeze, special care must
be taken as to proper clothing. Parke laid great stress on the importance
of avoiding chills, draughts, or wettings. He remarked “In crossing
Equatorial Africa the Relief Expedition found that every wetting meant
an attack of fever.” The sea breeze, which is so refreshing and cool, by
checking the perspiration, frequently acts as the exciting cause of an
attack of fever. There is special liability to chill and subsequent fever
when ascending an eminence, as the exertion causes profuse perspiration,
and the cool breeze encountered on arrival at the top is very likely to
produce ill effects.
On completing a day’s journey, the underclothing, at least, should be
changed without delay, and the skin should be well dried by the free use
of a rough towel. If at all possible a warm bath should be taken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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