Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-24

| It is apt to produce diarrhoea. me
green fruit contains large percent
age of tannic acid, and l have seen II
| eaten by the natives to correct this
very condition.
| There are very few streams in that
part of the island and most of the
water is obtained from wells and. rs
| limestone is the principal formation,
| the we'll waters are heavily charged
with lime salts. AS there must be
| thousands of unused wells since the
devastation of the country, and as
am informed that many of them have
been used by the Spaniards to bury
their dead, | should consider water
from all such sources exceedingly dan
gerous to the troops operating in the
country Pocket filters l have always
considered as of little value. Boiled
water is the only sensible precaution
one can take against polluted water.
What I have already said about yell
low fever l repeat here. 1t does not
exist in the country, and only in Il
very few of the interior cities; but it
is endemic in MatanZas, Sagua,
Havana, Cardenas. and Santiago.
Malaria does exist throughout the
lOW ldIluS DI i5uDd, bul one ldISIy
finds the severer forms. such as the
chagres fevers of Panama. Around
the swamps of Zapata Ghe southern
parD possibly such forms might be
met with, but not along the northern
coasts or among the hills.
Sporadic forms of dysentery exists
throughout the island. but more es-
pecially in the cities and villages.
LaVage of the lower bowels with So
lutions of fannie or nitrate of silve"
and large doses of ipecac seem to
have been the most efiicacious rene
dies used by the Cuban physicians.
Beri-beri is not an uncommon disease
among the negroes. | have never
seen it among the native white popu
| lation. Leprosy exists in Havana; a
few sporadic cases throughout the is
land. chiefly among the Chinese COOL
les
Sunstroke in Cuba is very rare, but
| have no doubt it would not be un-
common among recently arrived troops
unless properly clothed, and if the men
We're too much exposed to the tropical
sun without the opportunities for fire.
quent bathing. This | consider very
important From personal experience
in Cuba, | found it necessary to bathe
after prolonged exposure to the sun
Now as to food The native popula-
ton live principally on animal food
and consume large quantities of fa;.
Plantaius bananas. sweet potatoes,
corn, beans and rice form the principal
articles of vegetable diet There is
little beef used by the people of the
country, but large quantities of pork
are consumed: but the pork in Cuba
Cf there be any lefD is quite different
from that obtained in this country. and
consider it decidedly more wholesome
and palatable. / should unhesitatineiy
recommend that a mixed diet. with an
excess Of heterogeneous food. be used by
recently arrived troops on the island
rather than an excess of vegetables.
Alcohol should be prohibited until
the men begin to feel the enervatins
effects Of the climate. which would
hardly be for several weeks.
The custom throughout the island is
to have breakfast about 10 or II O'Clock.
and dinner about 4, ) or 6 in the after
noon; only two meals a day. But this
| consider a bad habit. The intervals
between the meals are too long ana
each meal too heavy The American
habit of three meals Il day III regular
intervals is decidedly to be preferred.
Plenty Of meat, few vegetables, and
a generous quantity of coffee, and no
alcohol for a few weeks at least. is thu.
most sensible plan to be followed in
regard to the feeding OF recently ar
rived northern troops i'll Cuba during
the summer months.
y few words as TO clothing. Cloth OF
any kind or description is not to be
thought of in the island Of Cuba Light
linen or cotton, both in color ana
weight, is the proper clothing to be
worn; thin undershirts and drawers.
and every man should have at least
one extra change of underwear, stock
ings and shoes. The fall of dew and
the dampness are So great that the
men will be wet below the knees daily
until or . O'Clock in the morning, if
marching any distance during the
early morning hours, the most season
able time at which to W urk them.
Wool. although recommended by the
English authorities as the proper
clothing in the tropics, is certainty
not so desirable in Cuba from the fact
that it retains the dampness much
longer than either cotton or linen
There are no roads in Cuba. and
vegetation is so rank that even the
rocks are covered by grass, vines. and
any living thing that can put OUT a
leaf under a tropical sun and moisture.
1t does not necessarily rain every
afternoon in the summer-there are
periods, sometimes, Of several weeks
or days without rain, but it is un-
usual Some summers are much drier
than others.
As to hats. | should certainly pre-
fer TO use straw Or linen one IT, any
felt, no matter how light; but the
Spanish rural guards all wear Cor used
to) light felt hat. the soldiers straw
or what are called Panamas. with
broad nriins, white and Of very light
weight. The Cuban insurgents, and.
IN fact. the people who live in the
country. wear over their undershrt a
shirt with pockets called chamarre-
Ia. dispensing thereby with coats and
vests 1t is decidedly the most COM
fOfta Bile dress for C1ba