Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-24
ABOUT HEALTH IN CUBA.
Advice from Physician Of Long Expert
ence on the Island.

| Or. ID. L. Laine of Philadelphia, VINO
is thoroughly acquainted with the eli
| mate of Cuba and the conditions which
Will confront our soldiers there, recent
ly wrote the following letter to the sur
| geon-general of New York:
| NJ O. Terry. NJ. D., surgeon general.
My Dear Docter: Your letter OF
April y just received. / shall send you
an interview published some time ago
and add a few minor facts not touched
upon in that article.
| Up to five years ago | spent my sum-
| mers, from May to September, on our
| plantation in the province of Matan-
zas and l can positively state this. that
| the country districts in the province
| of Matanzas and Havana are as a rule
| healthy. even in the summer. But the
| climate is exceedingly damp, and the
rainfall in these months is enormous,
although the sun shines the greater
| part of the time through an atmos-
| phere surcharged With moisture, and
| the thermometer in the shade reg
| sterS between So and 950-hut never
| higher. The nights are cool due to the
| trade winds which blow continuously y
never get below 10 or thereabouts. |
should say, in a few words. that sui
| try, warm weather, daily thunder
| showers and passable nights is the pre-
Naiing state of the weather through
cut the western half of the island.
| have never been in the provinces Of
Puerte Principe and Santiago de Cuba,
| but understand that the regions there
are healthier on account of the billy
country.
have practiced medicine during the
past eleven years in and about Phila-
delphia, and would unhesitatingly as
sert that the country in the western
part of the island is not more un-
healthy than Delaware or Chester
counties in Pennsylvania.
But not SO in the cities or through
cut the extreme southern part of the
island, which is sWampy ana low. In
the former we have tand certainly in
all the larger cities on the coasD yell
low fever and typhoid as endemic dis
Eases. Another fact which is not gem
| orally commented upon is that tuber-
culOsis IS very prevalent in the cities
Of Cuba.and ! have been informed that
many Of the Spanish soldiers die from
this disease, and not as much from yel-
| low fever and dysentery as has been
reported.
If Americans but knew what bad
| treatment the Spanish soldiers TaW
recruitsl receive from their govern
ment, and how dirty and filthy these
people are in their habits. they would
agree with some Of US who know the
facts and have lived on the island that
| Cuba, far from being an unhealthy
place, is quite the contrary. That they
/ can live as they do and not all die
| has been the wonder to me.
BY observing the most elementary
and primitive precautions bodies Of
troops could operate in the country
districts Of Cuba without any more
danger than they would incur in any
of the southern states.
| From my personal knowledge
should say that the hiIly country
around Matanzas and Havana is de
cideCly freer from malaria and health
Ter in every respect than throughout
the middle and northern portions Of
Florida.
Smallpox has been epidemic in a
more or less severe form throughout
The whole island of Cuba during the
past three years, SO that it would be
necessary to observe strict precautions
about previous vaccination, &c.
Another disease which is not uncom-
mon throughout certain parts of the
island is tetanus, so that all punctured
wounds Of the foot and hand should
be more safely treated as open wounds
after thorough antiseptic applications.
no matter how small and trivial they
might appear. Jiggers (chigoes) would
| be apt to affect some Of the men ard
cause Iameness unless promptly recog-
nized and treated. \ little coal oil is
the most effective remedy.
Mosquitoes are abundant during the
summer season, and every man
should be provided With a small piece
Of netting. There are no Venomous
snakes throughout the whole island of
Cuba. and the tarantulas are not
poisonous. as are those found in New
Mexico. The bit of the scorpion. also.
is not more dangerous than that of the
bee. To this | can testify from per
sonal experience
one plant is common throughout the
island. belonging to the family of
Rhus ToXicodendron. It's effect upon
susceptible persons. in causing an
acute dermatits is precisely like that
caused by the poison ivy. 1t is found
all over the island, but is easily rec
ognized.
\ great variety of tropical fruits
abound. They should certainly be
| avoided by recently arrived persons OF
the unaccimated: but as Weyler has
left no fruit tree throughout thesa
provinces. they will not be easily OBJ
| tanned.
There is one plant. though which is
still abundant in Cuba. and that is the
| sugar cane. 1t should not be eaten un-
til the fall, when it has reached its full
maturity. Sugar cane at this season
of the year is sweet, but very watery
containing large amounts of glutinoue
substance conducive TO intestinal dis
turbances Even the natives avoid ii
on this account
There is one Wild fruit in the island
u,