The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-28

Their respect is it anything of the sort
With model and the materials every
soldier could make one for himself. and
after a few nights with mosquitoes would
be very glad TO do so.
|. protection From Rain.-NeXt to sleeping
on the ground and drinking bad water
without first boiling il, the most fruitful
source of malaria in the tropics is sleep
ing in the rain, or in wet clothing. The
attention of officers and men is particu-
larly invited TO the following axiom:
Inere is no serious danger TO the health
of soldier, either in wading swamps or
marching in the rain, provided he can
change to dry clothing when he halts, and
have a shelter while he sleeps.
Experience has proven that so long as
water-soaked man is moving his wet
clothing will bring him no real harm; but
| rest or sleep in Water-soaked garments in
! duceS an excess of relaxation which the
! average constitution cannot long success
| fully counteract. Therefore, whenever it
is possible to do so, change to dry cloth
| ing as soon as possible at the end Of the
! days eXerton. A careful observance OF
| this rule Will be found of immense benefit
| in warding off fever and ague
| In order that the above precaution may
! be observed, every soldier ordered TO
| march should carry one complete change
! of clothing, even though the extra suit
]
! light shirt and trousers to wear in camp
and while sleeping. This suit should be
| kept dry on the march by wrapping it in
the rubber blankets which will form an
! important feature in the equipment Of
every soldier.
The Rain Sheet-In the tropics. the only
! shelter necessary in a temporary camp is
| a roof, the sides of which should come
| within about four feet of the earth The
| weight of waterproof canvas is necessarily
| considerable, and in active operations this
| will often prove impossible to carry. To
! meet some of the requirements of our
| army in Cuba, it might be supplied with
| rain sheets, Of several Sizes to shelter
| either two, four, eight or sixteen men.
| The rain sheet, in common use by tropical
| explorers, is merely a square of strong
muslin, of any given size, made like a
tent fly, and soaked i'm linseed Oil and par
| aim, to render 1t imDerVious to water
without becoming sticky. A good pack
mule can carry enough rain sheets to
| shelter number of men, and they are
much better for sheltering men in ham
| npocks than any save very large tents.
The Rubber Blanket-W henever for any
| reason the soldier finds himself without
a rain sheet or other roof to shelter him,
| he can secure very fair protection by
| hanging his rubber blanket tentwise over
| his hammock. If his hammock is provd-
ed with mosquito shirt, the cord on
| which the latter is suspended between
| the supports of the hammock forms a
ready ridgepole for the rain-proof blanket.
| In timbered country, where small trees
/ furnish ready means for hanging ham,
| mocks, the soldier who is equipped with
| hammock and mosquito shirt can, in fif-
| teen minutes, or less, have ready for use
| a most restful bed-above the mud and
water and the worst of the malaria-a
| perfect protection from the mosquitoes
and a roof to shelter him from the rain.
The Haiti our soldiers are sent to
| Cuba wearing ordinary felt hats, or close
| fitting straw hats, there is danger that
| cases of sunstroke will be numerous With
| a majority of our volunteers coming from
| offices and factories, seldom exercising in
| the sun at midday in summer they will
need the best protection for their heads
that can be procured. The ideal hat for
the tropics is the pith helmet (made from
| the pith of the sola tree), with the whole
body of the hat kept away from direct
contact with the head by means of
sweat band which is attached to the body
of the hat through four or more pieces
of cork. The air circulates freely around
the head of the wearer, and passes out of
| a shielded hole In the top. In addition
to all this, the back part of the helmet
comes low enough to protect the most
vulnerable spot-the back of the neck.
1t is probable that a large supply of pith
helmets could not be secured on short
notice. The next best thing would be cork
helmets of the same shape, with the same
sort of ventilated sweat band, and hole
| in the top. The cloth cover should be
painted leaden gray, because white would
! be too conspicuous.
Food and Drink-In reality the hygienic
principles which promote the preservation
of health in the tropics are few and sim
pie. 1t is a mistake to burden the soldier
| or traveller with unnecessary rules, or rules
which it is utterly impossible for him to
observe. For the benefit of those interest
ed | will state in the briefest manner the
rules of hygiene which have carried me
safely through some very malarious por-
tons of the tropics
Keep the bowels open, at all hazards.
Whenever possible boil drinking water;
but there is not the slightest need TO boil
water before using it for washing or bath
| ing purposes.
As previously stated, remove wet cloth
ing as soon as practicable after gong into
camp
Sleep at least two feet above the ground
Be strictly temperate In everything. ex-
cept marching and fighting.
Drink no whisky or brandy, save when in
need of a stimulant after extraordinary
eXertion, exposure and relaxation, or when
really i'll. To a man who does not use
whisky as a beverage, it is a most Valua-
! ole I1tDiclIe, eSpcCkdIy III COllieCliOH Win
/ disorders of the stomach and bowels
great protection against diarrhea is
flannel bandage to be worn around the
waist
Never overload the stomach with any
kind Of food, especially meat.
Never eat any unripe fruit. Ripe fruits
eaten in moderation, are not only not in
furious but are decidedly beneficial in all
portions of the tropics. OF all fruits, there
is none more harmless than the banana
and in the tropics none other so nutritious
| and beneficial to man.
A well man should not take medicine 10
ward of disease. Eyen the best of tropical
medicines, quinne wears itself out If
taken too frequently, and its use should
| be confined to sick men.
Save Your Money.
One box of TUFTS Pills will save