The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-24
OPTICIANS.
FOR SOLDIERS in CUBA.
They should Take, Among other
Things, Flint and Steel.
Thos. r. Dawley, in Leslie's Weekly.

Thos r. Dawley, in Leslie's Weekly.
The probabilities are that there will be
very little hard campaigning by our troops
in Cuba. One good battle will so discourage
the Spaniards that it will become an easy
matter for us to occupy the cities and then
will follow the usual routine of garrison
duty Hence, we have more to fear from
the dreaded fever than from Spanish bull
let's This fever is liable to attack the
Northerner with more or less severity, and
II depends upon his constitution and pre-
vious habits whether the attack be severe
one or not. The fever may be the usual bill
ious one of the tropics and is either inter-
mittent, remittent or continued, the latter
being the true yellow fever or the paludal,
or the pernicious. Whether it be the one
or the other of these latter, they are
equally. severe and very little understood by
the medical profession in general. In my
own experience have seen doctors disput-
ing the diagnosis of these different feverS
while their patients lay dying.
Notwithstanding the generally accepted
theory to the contrary, have observed,
after having experienced many epidemicS
of fever in the trorics, that the Northerner,
if he is co5sst ieltfoRally sound and not rem
dered overcorpuleat by high living, will
the native 1t may be taken as a rule that
it depends on persons own condition and
the precautions he takes, whether he es-
capes disease or not. / have found some of
the simplest medicines to be the most eff
fective preventives of disease. and always
carry a supply with me when | journey in
the tropics, although ] am opposed to the
use of drugs except when they are abso-
lutelY necessary. MY supply usually con-
sists of g few bottles of gelatine coated
pills. one of compound cathartic one of
rhubarb, and one of quinine. In Cuba /
have found the rhubarb very beneficial,
whether taken i'm small or large doses as
occasion required. Quinine l only use when
there are symptoms of malaria, and then /
recommend its use sparingly, except in GER
tain stages of intermittent and remittent
fevers.
The season in which fevers are most
prevalent is at the decline of the wet sea-
son, but if our boys are properly fed, shell
tered and clothed there need be no great
fear of the dreaded fever. The most inn
portant thing to be observed is a perfect
regularity of the system and the least irreg-
ularity should be attended to with a dose
of either the compound cathartic or the
rhubarb pills. The clothing should be as
light as possible of cotton or some other
light material. Linen is preferable, as it is
cool and can be easily washed and kept
clean. Wooden goods should not be used
under any circumstances, as in the tropics
such material is sure to furnish a secure
place for the germs of disease and vermin.
The hammock is a most necessary article
of use in the tropics, and every soldier
should be provided with one. Sleeping on
the ground is not only dangerous to health,
but it is attended with the annoyance of
having myriads of insects, which usually
swarm over the land, take up their abode
upon the body. With a hammock one can
comfortably swing himself far out of the
reach of flies and bugs. The simplest and
canvas about yard and half wide by two
and half long. With a. rope fastened at
edCn enQ II can De swung between trees or
slakes in the field or beneath the corridors
of houses in towns. When not in use ii can
be rolled into a convenient bundle. When
campaigning have found such a hammock
TO serve the very Useful purpose of a COW
ering to my blanket.
During the rainy season in Cuba while in
the field I have found it almost impossible
10 keep matches. The dampness is so pene-
trating that matches are rendered useless,
so that no dependence is ever placed upon
them by either Spaniard or insurgent and
consequently flint and steel are made to
serve the useful purpose of striking a light.
The most convenient form of this little APP
garatus is that used by the Mexicans, which
consists of piece of round cotton tape, a
piece of flint and a steel. One end of the
tape is burned to produce the finder. after
which the epd is guarded in little box or
tube. / have seen an ordinary cartridge
shell used for this purpose. When light
is required the charred end of the tape is
placed upon the flint and held with the
flint between the thumb and finger of the
left hand. Two or three sharp blows with
the steel upon the edge of the flint produce
sparks. which ignite the tape, and behold
the light After use the tape should be ex-
tinguished without destroying the finder or
charred end for without it the sparks from
the flint would not ignite.