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HEALTH HINTS 
 
 TRAVELERS. 
 
 - ^ 
 
 U 
 
 BY 
 JOHN C. SUNDBERG, M. D. 
 
 D. G. BRINTON, 
 
 115 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 1884. 
 
Q\ \^o 
 
 ,ss 
 
 Copyright by D. G. Brinton, iJ 
 All rights reserved. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The object of this book is to teach the traveler to 
 keep himself well, and to help others who are less for- 
 tunate. It is bad enough to fall sick at home, but 
 how much worse when among strangers ! 
 
 Having traveled myself in almost every climate, 
 and in every quarter of the globe, my experience and 
 my profession have induced me to set forth in plain 
 and brief language a number of suggestions which it 
 will be worth while for travelers to remember. I 
 shall be glad to learn of others of a practical nature, 
 and shall be thankful for any such which may be sent 
 me, care of the publisher of this volume, 
 
 1884. John C. Sundberg, M. D. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface 3 
 
 Getting Ready — (Vaccination ; Teeth ; Medicine ; Baggage ; 
 
 Toilet Articles ; Own Cup ; Colored Glasses) 7 
 
 Hints About Eating and Drinking 9 
 
 Washing and Bathing 12 
 
 The Weather — (Airand Ventilation; Respirators) 13 
 
 Choosing a Room 14 
 
 Hygiene of Railway Traveling (Drafts, Nausea, Headache, 
 
 Irritation of Throat) 15 
 
 Hints for Traveling with Infants 18 
 
 Tours Afoot — (Training, Preparing the Feet, the Nails, Corn 
 Doctoring, Bunions, Foot Soreness, Chafing and Blistering, 
 Washing the Feet, Shoes and Stockings, A Pedestrian's Cos- 
 tume, How many miles a day. Muscular Soreness) .... 21 
 
 Equestrian Tours 34 
 
 At Sea — (Sea-sickness) . 35 
 
 Traveling in Search of Health 38 
 
 The Insect Plagues — (Mosquitoes, Fleas, Bedbugs, Lice, etc.) 40 
 
 How to Escape Malaria 42 
 
 To Avoid Taking Contagious Diseases — (The Best Disin- 
 fectants) 45 
 
 Sleeplessness — Nightmare 47 
 
 Sunstroke and Heatstroke 50 
 
 Poisonous Bites and Stings 52 
 
 DiARRHCEA and CONSTIPATION 53 
 
 Catching Cold 54 
 
 (V) 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Sore Throat ... o ........ 55 
 
 Toothache 56 
 
 Hiccough 58 
 
 Earache. ............. .... 58 
 
 Nose Bleed . 58 
 
 Vertigo or Dizziness . . 58 
 
 Suggestions about Medicines 59 
 
Health Hints for Travelers. 
 
 Getting Ready. 
 
 Much of the pleasure and some of the safety of a 
 journey depends on how well the tourist prepares 
 himself to take it. Whatever else he leaves undone, 
 there are some points he should religiously attend to. 
 One of these is 
 
 Vaccination. Small-pox is such a loathsome dis- 
 ease, so much feared, so prevalent, and withal so easily 
 prevented, that there is no sort of excuse for any civil- 
 ized man suffering from it. By all means before start- 
 ing on any journey of length go through the simple 
 process of revaccinatiott. It ought to be repeate 
 every four or five years with genuine bovine or pure 
 human virus, it matters not which. Do not be deluded 
 by the sophistical talk of certain crazy heads into the 
 notion that it is needless or injurious. My observation 
 is but that of thousands of experienced physicians, to 
 the effect that Jenner's discovery was the most valu- 
 able made during the last century. 
 
 Consult your dentist before you go. Even a philo- 
 sopher is upset by a tooth-ache; how much more the 
 sojourner in a strange land ! Moreover, the United 
 States has the best dentists in the world, and if you 
 think of visiting a foreign country, you will not be 
 
 (7) 
 
8 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 likely to secure as good work as you can at home. 
 Therefore have your teeth put in thorough repair be- 
 fore you buy your ticket. 
 
 You will want with you a few simple medicines. I 
 append a list of them at the close of this book. Have 
 such of them as you think you may need put up at 
 some druggist's in whose preparations you have con- 
 fidence. The doctor often gets the blame that belongs 
 to weak and adulterated drugs. 
 
 Much baggage is a nuisance. But as a matter of 
 prudence, do not depart without a good umbrella, 
 rubber overshoes, and a rubber gossamer overall, all 
 to keep out the dampness, that foe to health. A 
 rubber air-cushion is frequently a most agreeable ad- 
 dition to one's comfort. These articles take up very 
 little room. 
 
 Carry your own toilet articles with you, and use no 
 others. It is well to give a wide berth to the public 
 brushes, combs and towels which one finds in Ameri- 
 can hotels and clubs. (In Europe they never furnish 
 even soap.) Certain very disagreeable skin diseases 
 may be readily transferred by these articles for pro- 
 miscuous use. 
 
 It is also prudent to provide one's self with a drink- 
 ing-cup for use in the cars or elsewhere. Very ugly 
 diseases can be and have been carried from lip to lip by 
 cups and glasses. Not to speak of others equally loath- 
 some, I recall that Dr. Eklund, of Stockholm, in a 
 recent monograph on leprosy, says that a common 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. Q 
 
 source of contagion in Norway, unquestionably, is the 
 promiscuous use of drinking-cups, spoons, etc. The 
 same has been said of cholera among the troops in 
 India. 
 
 Colored glasses. These are useful in traveling over 
 snow-covered ground when the sun shines bright, for 
 instance, through Norway and Sweden in winter time. 
 They are almost indispensable on the seashore, at sea, 
 and in some parts of the country where the glare of 
 the sun on the white sand is actually blinding. 
 
 Hints About Eating and Drinking. 
 
 Food. Follow the customs of the country. It is 
 the opinion of some of the highest medical authorities 
 in India, that if the Europeans would adopt the mode 
 of living of the Hindus, viz., abstain from flesh and 
 alcohol, they would be better able to withstand the 
 evil effects of the climate. 
 
 The author lives almost exclusively on fruit and 
 milk (when the latter can be obtained) in tropical 
 climates, and even in the temperate and cold countries 
 during summer. During the early part of the summer 
 of 1878, while in Calcutta, where at the time cholera 
 was raging all around, my daily dinner was invariably 
 as follows: One pineapple, two or three mangoes, 
 and a few bananas or other fruit. I was warned 
 strongly by physicians and others against this practice; 
 I, however, kept perfectly healthy, while Europeans 
 and natives died all around me from cholera and sun- 
 
lO HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 stroke. I think that we should always select fruit 
 that is perfectly sound, and I would under no circum- 
 stances eat any portion of an apple or an orange in 
 which there was the smallest spot that was beginning 
 to decay. 
 
 Drinks. Water containing organic impurities may 
 be rendered potable by (i) boiling, (2) filtering 
 through charcoal, (3) adding a small quantity of per- 
 manganate of potassium, and letting it stand and 
 settle. 
 
 Alcohol is useful after exposure to severe cold; for 
 instance, after having been rescued from a wreck at 
 sea and brought into a warm cabin. The great danger 
 then is congestion of internal organs, which alcohol 
 tends to prevent by driving the blood outwards. But 
 alcohol is not of the least value while the person is so 
 exposed; on the contrary, it diminishes the power to 
 resist cold. It is useful taken in small quantities with 
 the food while undergoing severe fatigue, though 
 under such circumstances I have found it inferior to 
 coffee. Men when about to visit tropical countries 
 are frequently advised, even by their physician, to 
 drink brandy freely, and to either abstain from water 
 entirely, or at least never to take it pure. While on a 
 visit to Delhi during the winter of 1879, I met there 
 a well known American gentleman who told me that 
 he had been warned against the water both of Europe 
 and the East, and in order to be on the safe side, he 
 had not, so he said, tasted water since he left Phila- 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. II 
 
 delphia. A wealthy and refined lady in Ceylon, in- 
 formed me that as far as she knew she had never 
 tasted pure water, nor did she ever allow her children 
 to drink water without first diluting it with brandy. 
 
 As a result of this erroneous idea, for which physi- 
 cians are to a certain extent responsible, I have found 
 that a large number of the English ladies living in 
 India consume daily: Beer 3 pints, claret 3 pints, 
 sherry or champagne I pint, brandy from i to 4 and 
 even 6 ounces. The men drink, on an average, much 
 more, especially of the brandy, which diluted with an 
 equal part of soda-water is with many a favorite 
 beverage. 
 
 The same I have found to be the custom among the 
 Europeans in South America. Is it then any wonder 
 that many of these climates exert such evil influences 
 on the system in general, and the liver in particular? 
 As a proof that alcohol is not needed in tropical 
 climates any more than in the temperate, let me state 
 the case of an American gentleman, the Rev. Dr. J. 
 Phillips, total abstainer, who had lived in Arissa for 
 nearly forty years, and had undergone a great amount 
 of hardships and exposure in this home of malaria, 
 and yet retained a vigorous body almost up to his death, 
 which occured at the advanced age of 69. When- 
 ever I have, in the tropics or elsewhere, met a temper- 
 ate man, I have usually found him to be healthy, and 
 better able to undergo hardships than he who is habi- 
 tuated to the daily use of stimulants. 
 
12 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 " Every man," says the eminent Dr. Parkes, in his 
 treatise on Hygiene, "who examines the subject in 
 good faith, is the best judge of the exact diet which 
 suits him." The general rule is that the amount of 
 food should be in proportion to the amount of exer- 
 cise taken. But the trouble is to get persons to use 
 their own best judgment about satisfying their appe- 
 tite. Dr. Parkes says in another passage, that even 
 to-day, thirty per cent, of those who consult a physi- 
 cian owe their diseases in some way to their diet! 
 
 It is a good habit to take a reasonable amount of 
 fluid before starting in the morning, and very little 
 during the day. Of the many excellent reasons for 
 keeping the mouth shut, one is that it lessens greatly 
 the sense of thirst. A piece of onion, a grain of cay- 
 enne pepper, a trifle of spice, still better a fragment of 
 slippery elm bark, will allay thirst without the use of 
 water. 
 
 In India, travelers carry a "filtering stone," with 
 tube attached. In default of some such simple appar- 
 atus, suspicious drinking water should be boiled and 
 cooled. At hotels, some of the numerous natural 
 mineral waters can nearly always be obtained, and they 
 are often preferable to the local water. 
 
 Jf'ashiiig and Bathing, 
 
 Cleanliness is praiseworthy and salutary, but there 
 is not much wisdom in universal cold bathing — " tub- 
 bing," as the English call it. A cold bath, by which 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 1 3 
 
 I mean one when the temperature of the water is any- 
 where below 70° Fah., requires a sohd constitution to 
 resist its dangers. Drs. Martin and Mosely pronounce 
 it " eminently unsafe" to the aged, the very young, to 
 the debilitated, the intemperate, to those suffering from 
 any organic disease, and — especially noteworthy here — 
 to those who have recently undergone any great fatigue 
 of mind or body. The warm bath — from 85° to 95° — 
 is safe to all. 
 
 An excellent substitute for the bath is the flesh 
 brush. After one becomes accustomed to it, it is a 
 delightful implement and indispensable toilet article. 
 Pains and aches disappear before it "like magic," as 
 the patent medicine men say. It is cleanly, handy, 
 portable, stimulating and soothing, all in one. 
 
 A rough towel or the flesh gloves are next in value, 
 but a long way behind. 
 
 Tlie Weather, Air and Ventilation. 
 
 When the heat is excessive, there are many ways 
 of cooling the rooms. Pankhas, which are immense 
 fans suspended under the ceiling, will be found deli- 
 cious, and in the case of hot winds, such as prevail in 
 the northwest provinces of India during March, April, 
 May, and June, a wet screen (tatti), suspended before 
 the doors and windows, through which the wind is 
 allowed to pass, will make a person coming from with- 
 out imagine that he is approaching the north pole. 
 Americans do not as a rule pay enough attention to 
 
14 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 the art of keeping cool in hot weather. Travelers 
 should provide themselves with sun hats (solar topics) 
 and white umbrellas. 
 
 Wet Clothi7ig. — If wet from salt water, no harm will 
 come from it, I was once wet night and day, sleeping 
 and awake, for six weeks, with a temperature near and 
 at times below the freezing point, but was none the 
 worse for it at the end of that time. 
 
 Cold Weather. — Although the winter temperature 
 of Norway and Sweden is usually very severe, some- 
 times falling below the freezing point of mercury, I 
 never remember to have suffered much from cold, 
 although I have spent nineteen winters in Norway. 
 With the intense cold there is usually a perfect calm 
 with dryness of the atmosphere (this only applies to 
 the interior, not to the coast), hence the great toler- 
 ance. I once as a boy walked 210 English miles in 
 six days, in a temperature which during that time 
 ranged from twenty to thirty degrees Fah. below zero. 
 I kept my ears and nose warm by rubbing them fre- 
 quently with snow. 
 
 Choosing a JRootn. 
 
 Always select a room on the sunny side of the 
 house, even in the tropics. It has been found in India, 
 that the mortality is less among the soldiers who oc- 
 cupy the south side of the barracks. 
 
 A word about respirators. They are useful in dense, 
 dank, penetrating fogs, in smoky, gassy places, on very 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 1 5 
 
 dusty roads, in raw winds, and to all whose throat and 
 lungs are threatened. The simplest is a silk handker- 
 chief placed over the nostrils and mouth, and it is 
 astonishing how much comfort this often gives. Of 
 the permanent kind, a thin slice of clean close-grained 
 sponge (half an inch thick), will answer very well. In 
 India they extemporize an efficient disinfecting respi- 
 rator by enclosing a layer of fresh charcoal in cotton. 
 Various others are manufactured, especially in London, 
 where they are much more used than in this country. 
 
 Hygiene of Railway Traveling. 
 
 Some writers on sanitary science have framed a 
 formidable bill of indictment against railways, on the 
 score of the injury they do to health. The surgeons 
 of the hospitals of Paris and Lyons found nearly seven 
 per cent, of the engineers and firemen suffering from 
 affections of the brain and nervous system, owing 
 principally to their occupation. Dr. Blyth, in his 
 " Dictionary of Hygiene," accuses the waiting-rooms 
 at stations of being " nothing more or less than centres 
 for the propogation of typhoid fever and similar dis- 
 eases." The frequent exposure to drafts is also very 
 injurious. As an English writer observes : " One may 
 live in a pest-house for years; but to be suddenly 
 cooled down to an easily -reached point, puts us in a 
 few minutes beyond all help, and a draft may bring 
 death like a bullet." 
 
 Drafts, in fact, are one of the greatest dangers in rail- 
 
l6 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 way traveling. They may produce catarrhal affections, 
 sore throat, earache, toothache, pleurisy, pneumonia — 
 a long train of ills. They are increased with the 
 rapidity of the train, and whenever the temperature of 
 the air is below 65°, they have all the dangerous pro- 
 perties of a " cold draft." It is well to remember that 
 in cold weather there is much less risk from foul air 
 than from open windows, and the safer rule is to keep 
 the car-windows shut. As a safeguard against drafts, 
 I particularly recommend persons to carry a blanket, 
 or a "railway rug," to wrap around their legs and feet. 
 The philosophy of this is that the first effect of a gen- 
 eral chill is to drive the blood from the extremities 
 (the arms and legs and feet) to the central organs, and 
 hence the importance of keeping these extremities 
 protected and warm. If in spite of care, a generally 
 chilly feeling is experienced, the best remedy is im- 
 mediately to swallow a quarter or an eighth of a grain 
 of morphia, or one grain of opium, or twenty drops of 
 laudanum. I know a very eminent surgeon who tells 
 me that for years on his frequent journeys he has in- 
 variably carried such morphine pills for this purpose. 
 
 Nausea and sick feelings, with faintness, are produced 
 in many persons by the movement of a rapid train. 
 The sensation is something like sea-sickness, and is 
 probably caused by the jolting of the intestines and 
 gall bladder. Dr. Walter Lewis, the Medical Super- 
 intendent of the London Post-office, has observed this 
 so often in "bilious" persons, that he now rejects them 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 1/ 
 
 as unfit for the traveling service of the postal depart- 
 ment. The best preventative of this unpleasant effect 
 is to tie a bandage tightly around the abdomen, and 
 to carry a small vial of chloroform, of which a few 
 whiffs should be sniffed up when the sensations come 
 on. 
 
 The headache produced in some persons by railway 
 traveling, is sometimes brought about by the noise 
 and vibration of the cars acting on the ears. I have 
 heard of one case where it was entirely prevented by 
 filling the ears with cotton, before entering the cars. 
 In others, we must look to the eyes for its cause. 
 These organs are more or less tried by the rapid recur- 
 rence of momentary impressions on the retina. Any 
 one can test this for himself by trying to count the 
 fence-posts when the train is in rapid motion. Persons 
 whose eyes are weak experience the same disagreeable 
 strain from looking out in the ordinary manner. 
 
 Dryness of the throat, passing sometimes into trou- 
 blesome irritation of the vocal organs, is quite common 
 with susceptible people who try to talk in the cars. 
 The cause of it is two-fold; first, because in order to 
 drown the noise of the train they have to pitch the 
 voice in an unusual key, which strains the vocal cords ; 
 and secondly, because the air in long railway journeys 
 has a drying effect both on the skin and mucous mem- 
 brane, and renders them unusually sensitive. The pre- 
 vention is simple : do not converse in the cars, and 
 keep your mouth shut. 
 
1 8 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 In spite of the ingenuity which has been expended 
 upon the subject, the dust remains one of the greatest 
 annoyances in railway traveling. It is extremely irri- 
 tating both to the eyes and the breathing passages. 
 Many experienced travelers protect the eyes by " gog- 
 gles;" ladies can use veils, which are, however, un- 
 pleasant in hot weather. A respirator will protect the 
 breathing passages, if it seems advisable to have re- 
 course to it. 
 
 Hints for Traveling with Infants, 
 
 Every traveler knows the horror of the squalling 
 baby in the crowded car. The poor little things suffer 
 much, but most of their misery and that of their 
 traveling companions could be avoided by timely pre- 
 cautions. 
 
 One of the greatest troubles is about their food and 
 drink. I recommend decidedly the use of condejised 
 milk on journeys with small children. The tin being 
 opened before starting, and a little of the milk taken 
 out to prevent any running over, it is placed carefully 
 in an ordinary small traveling provision-basket, not in 
 a hand-bag. It is better to have a teaspoon as well, so 
 that the quantity may be easily measured. Children, 
 even if they are not accustomed to this kind of milk, 
 take it readily, and digest it well. Even though the 
 tin be left open, the milk remains perfectly good during 
 the longest journey. 
 
 The next difficulty is in providing hot water to mix 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. ig 
 
 with the milk, or in heating the mixture to a proper 
 temperature without the trouble and risk of boiling it 
 over a spirit-lamp every time the child needs the bottle. 
 This may readily be avoided by the following expedi- 
 ents. 
 
 An ordinary stone bottle, such as is commonly em- 
 ployed in winter to place at the foot of the bed to keep 
 the feet warm, holding about half a gallon of water, is 
 first wrapped round with several thicknesses of sheet 
 cotton-wadding, the ends being brought round so as to 
 entirely encircle the bottle. Outside this, two or three 
 yards of stout house-flannel are wound, and fastened 
 securely by a needle and thread, the ends being 
 gathered in, as in the case of the wadding. The 
 flannel and wadding are, of course, cut so as to allow 
 the neck of the bottle to protrude. To improve the 
 appearance of the whole, a piece of scarlet flannel is 
 then neatly sewn on, and an ordinary rug-strap, with a 
 handle, adjusted, so as to allow portability. A few 
 hours before starting, the bottle must be filled with 
 nearly boiling water, and the cork, which must be per- 
 fectly clean, or the screw-stopper, adjusted. The 
 object of doing this is to heat thoroughly the bottle 
 and its coverings. Shortly before starting, the bottle 
 is first emptied, and then again filled with fresh boiling 
 water. This can be readily carried by the aid of the 
 strap without any inconvenience whatever. If properly 
 prepared, the water, which at the time of starting is at 
 a temperature of about 200° Fahr., will remain con- 
 
20 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 siderably over ioo°, even though the quantity is con- 
 stantly being diminished, for a period of twelve to six- 
 teen hours. 
 
 Children who have only recently given up the use 
 of the bottle are still dependent to a great extent upon 
 liquid food, though it is not always necessary in hot 
 weather that the food should be warm. For this rea- 
 son, a bottle of milk and another of plain- water should 
 form part of the traveling-basket Children suffer 
 much from thirst, as a rule, when travelling; and, if 
 milk be given to them undiluted, it tends to increase, 
 and not to satisfy, this craving for liquid. Plain water, 
 in small quantities, at appropriate intervals, allays 
 thirst, and prevents children from being so restless and 
 irritable. 
 
 In place of buns, cakes, and sweet crackers, it is far 
 better to take only plain water-crackers, thin slices of 
 bread and butter, carefully packed in a sandwich-tin, or 
 even simple crusts of bread, which do not provoke 
 thirst as in the case of sweet things. Egg-sandwiches, 
 made with eggs not boiled too hard, prove an useful 
 addition on long journeys, and are much relished by 
 young children as well as by adults. Ripe fruit, to a 
 moderate amount, is also very grateful, where children 
 are old enough to be indulged with it. 
 
 Children who are unused to traveling often have a 
 great dread of the whistling of the engine as it enters 
 a tunnel, or rushes swiftly past some station with gas- 
 lamps flaring along its whole length. To obviate 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 21 
 
 these, a little cotton-wool, lightly packed at the orifice 
 of the ear, gently pressed into the external meatus 
 only sufficiently far to prevent the wool from actually 
 falling out, and the precaution of drawing the blind or 
 the curtains across the car windows, will prove of great 
 service. 
 
 It is a mistake to wrap up children too much when 
 traveling in summer; the unusual clothing only irri- 
 tates them, and makes them restless and peevish, pre- 
 venting their sleeping, and causing unnecessary dis- 
 comfort. 
 
 In cases were children are exceedingly nervous and 
 excitable, readily frightened, and unable to sleep when 
 traveling, a dose of five or ten grains of the bromide 
 of potassium, depending upon the age of the child 
 is often of service in restraining undue excitement and 
 ensuring sleep. 
 
 Tours Afoot. 
 
 The earliest, and still in many respects often the 
 most pleasant mode of travel, is to go afoot. It is the 
 only way in which the full attraction of beautiful 
 scenery can be appreciated. One escapes the annoy- 
 ance of hurrying by charming views, and it is reserved 
 for the pedestrian alone to gain a real acquaintance 
 with the people of the land through which he travels. 
 Some adopt foot traveling from necessity, quite as 
 many from pleasure. Not many years ago an English 
 physician was thoughtful enough to make a careful 
 
22 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 collection of the medical and hygienic hints which are 
 suitable to the pedestrian, and I shall repeat, in the 
 main, the judicious advice of Dr. Watson, adding to it 
 various suggestions from the experience of myself and 
 others. 
 
 TRAINING BEFOREHAND. 
 
 For some days before setting out on a foot journey, 
 the tourist should practice regular training, beginning 
 with moderate walks, and increasing them daily. 
 This serves also to break in the shoes, and to harden 
 the feet. The body also must be brought into good 
 condition. A warm bath with thorough towelling 
 repeated several times, opens the pores of the skin and 
 relieves the internal organs. A gentle dose of laxa- 
 tive medicine, as of one of the aperient mineral waters 
 now to be found in every drug-store, is also a- useful 
 preliminary. If the diet has been rich and full, it 
 should be moderated. 
 
 PREPARING THE FEET. 
 
 Comfort, pleasure, success, everything about a foot 
 tour, depends on the condition of the feet. A corn, a 
 chafed heel, a hang nail will destroy all the charms of 
 scenery and joy of companionship. The most scrupu- 
 lous precautions to avoid such petty evils are never 
 excessive or beneath respect. 
 
 THE NAILS. 
 
 If the toe-nails are suffered to grow too long, they 
 have a tendency to curve downward and inward, some- 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 23 
 
 times growing into the flesh, or causing discomfort by 
 the pressure of the upper leather of the shoe. 
 
 They must not, however, be cut too short, as this in 
 turn prevents them from being what they by nature 
 are, a defence to the extremely sensitive extremities of 
 the toes. 
 
 The proper length to keep them is so that the edge 
 of the nail is a line or two behind the extreme end of 
 the toe. It is quite important to cut them square, not 
 rounded or en amande, as the French say, as the latter 
 plan favors their growing into the flesh and cutting the 
 skin in walking. 
 
 This accident of ingrown toe-nail is one of the most 
 obstinate and painful of all the affections of the foot. 
 It is usually the big toe which is the sufferer. The 
 corner of the nail is forced into the flesh, bleeding and 
 irritation follow, and sometimes actual and severe lame- 
 ness are produced in consequence. 
 
 This accident may be prevented by close attention to 
 the condition of the nails, and by cutting them square. 
 If any irritation or chafing by the edge of the nail 
 against the flesh is perceived, a narrow strip of isinglass 
 plaster must be inserted beneath the nail and carried 
 firmly around the toe over the irritated edge of flesh, 
 thus interposing this protective barrier between the 
 nail and the flesh. The corner of the nail must not be 
 cut off That were bad treatment. But the convex 
 portion or back of the nail may be scraped thin with a 
 piece of glass or knife edge from the root to the free 
 
24 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 edge. This weakens and flattens the arch of the nail, 
 so that the borders do not press so firmly on the flesh 
 at the sides. Some cotton may also be pressed under 
 the edges of the nail, to lift them up and away from the 
 flesh. 
 
 CORN DOCTORING. 
 
 In every city in the United States corn extractors, 
 or as they prefer to be called, chiropodists or pedi- 
 cures, are to be found. It is fair to say that as a rule 
 they have a good deal of practical skill, and their 
 services will repay, in increased comfort, the moderate 
 charges they usually make. To a sufferer from corns 
 a few dollars now and then are well laid out in having 
 these artists remove the callosities and redress the 
 irregularities of his feet. Before starting on a pedes- 
 trian excursion, it would be well to have one's ser- 
 vices. 
 
 As, however, not all have the chance and others will 
 not recollect or care to take this advice, I add direc- 
 tions for treating corns independently of pedicures. 
 
 First, to relieve them. To do this, soak them a few 
 minutes in warm water, apply a drop of sweet-oil, and 
 then cut them down carefully, being very careful not 
 to draw blood, as this sometimes results in producing 
 ugly sores. Soap the cut surface a little, and touch it 
 lightly with a stick of fused nitrate of silver (lunar 
 caustic). After a few minutes wipe off the soap, and 
 cover with a piece of sticking plaster or lead plaster 
 spread on linen. , Be careful not to apply the caustic 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 2$ 
 
 beyond the hard, horny spot, or a sore may be pro- 
 duced. 
 
 This method does very well to produce temporary 
 relief, but not a cure, as the so-called " root" or stem 
 of the corn remains, and for a cure this must be ex- 
 tracted. This can be done by any tolerably skillful 
 and patient person. A penknife with a rather dull 
 blade, or a sharp-pointed bodkin, is required. Soften- 
 ing the core with a drop of oil, the operator digs or 
 scratches cautiously round and round the root, loosen- 
 ing it by degrees from its bed, going slowly deeper 
 and deeper, until the whole root is thus exposed. It 
 may then be removed by a small pair of forceps. If 
 properly done, this operation is entirely pain/ess and 
 entirely bloodless. 
 
 After the root is removed, pressure on the spot 
 should not cause the least pain. The part should be 
 covered with a plaster, and the toe bound up for a few 
 days. 
 
 More serious annoyance of similar character is 
 caused by 
 
 BUNIONS. 
 
 Under this name are popularly included two very 
 different complaints. Thus I find several works 
 addressed to pedestrians describing a bunion as "a 
 many-stemmed corn situated over or on the outer side 
 of the large joint of the great toe." It is true that 
 large multiple corns are frequently produced at these 
 spots by ill-fitting shoes, and on account of their size 
 
 2 
 
26 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 and exposed situation are peculiarly apt to become 
 inflamed and painful. The bending of the joint at 
 every step aggravates the soreness and hinders recov- 
 ery. 
 
 This sort of bunion is, however, nothing more than 
 an exaggeration of an ordinary corn, and the directions 
 • I have above given will apply to the treatment of such 
 a callosity quite well. 
 
 Very different and much more serious is the ail- 
 ment which surgeons call a bunion. This is nothing 
 else than a chronic inflammation and consequent en- 
 largement of the principal joint of the great toe. It is 
 usually caused by wearing a shoe which is too short, 
 and thus presses the toe back against the correspond- 
 ing bone of the foot, not giving the joint sufficient 
 play, and exciting inflammation of one or both its 
 articular surfaces. 
 
 Here no domestic remedy will avail, nor need an im- 
 mediate recovery be expected at the most skillful hands. 
 A wide shoe, and a proper splint and bandage, will 
 have to be worn for a long time to restore the joint to 
 a state of health. But as a pedestrian journey cannot 
 be contemplated by such a sufferer, I need not enter 
 further into this matter. 
 
 FOOT SORENESS, CHAFING AND BLISTERING. 
 
 These are the commonest annoyances when journey- 
 ing afoot. They may be generally avoided by secur- 
 ing a well-fitting shoe, and having it gradually broken 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 2/ 
 
 in, and well oiled. The stockings should be free from 
 creases and seams, and preferably of soft wool. After 
 some hours' walking, when the feet are beginning to 
 feel hot, chafed and sore, the stockings should be 
 changed from one foot to the other, or turned inside 
 out, so that the point of pressure will be relieved. 
 
 But the most efficient preservative is to have the 
 feet well greased before starting out. Some pedestrians 
 prefer for this purpose neats-foot oil ; others use tallow 
 or washed lard; others say nothing equals the yolk of 
 an egg; while others again believe in soaping the in- 
 side of the stocking with common yellow hard soap, 
 making a good lather, and rubbing it in. Probably it 
 makes little difference which of these plans is adopted, 
 the end gained being the same in all ; so I will leave if 
 to the fancy and convenience of the reader to select for 
 himself 
 
 When a blister is once formed, do not open it. That 
 is the worst measure to take. It is painful at the time, 
 and the foot grows sore afterwards. Get a needleful 
 of silk or worsted ; pass it through the blister ; tie the 
 two ends together and leave the thread in ; the next 
 morning cut off both ends with the scissors, leaving 
 the thread in the now drained and flattened blister un- 
 disturbed. 
 
 Another plan, much used by Swiss travelers, is to 
 rub the blistered part gently for some time on going to 
 bed with spirits mixed with tallow dropped from a 
 candle into the palm of the hand. The next morning 
 
28 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 no blister remains. This has the endorsement of many 
 distinguished pedestrians. 
 
 When the shin has been broken and a chafed, sore, 
 raw surface has been formed, very considerable comfort 
 may be regained by covering it smoothly with one or 
 two layers of court plaster. No pedestrian should 
 start out without a piece of this simple and valuable 
 substance with him. He will probably bless its dis- 
 coverer more warmly than Sancho Panza did the 
 inventive genius who first discovered sleep. 
 
 At night, chafed and inflamed surfaces should be 
 well greased, or else covered with a clay poultice — a 
 simple remedy, very generally at hand, and very cool- 
 ing, grateful and healing to most inflamed parts. 
 
 WASHING AND BATHING THE FEET. 
 
 There is a difference of opinion among professed 
 pedestrians as to the propriety of using much water to 
 the feet when on a long tramp. The medical regula- 
 tions of the British army in India are emphatic that the 
 feet should not be washed with cold water when long 
 marches are contemplated. Some authorities disap- 
 prove of much washing with any kind of water. The 
 natural oily secretion of the skin is removed by the 
 fluid, and consequently cracks, chafes and blisters are 
 more liable to occur. Wiping with a damp towel or 
 sponge, say these writers, is enough for cleanliness. 
 
 The counsel that I should give would be to bathe 
 the feet every evening in tepid water, but not to let 
 them soak long; and after wiping them, to rub 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 29 
 
 in some penetrating animal oil, as neat's-foot. This 
 meets the demands of both parties, the advocates of 
 cleanliness and those of oiliness. 
 
 The excessive perspiration of the feet with which 
 some persons are annoyed is increased by frequent 
 washing; yet cleanliness is essential to remove the 
 disagreeable odor which always attends this immode- 
 rate secretion. The socks should be of woolen, and 
 finely powdered fresh vegetable charcoal should be 
 strewn in the bottom of the shoe to absorb the fetid 
 emanation. 
 
 At the end of a day's walk, it is a good rule to take 
 off shoes and stockings, rub the feet with a damp cloth, 
 dry them well, and put on clean, dry stockings and 
 light slippers. Especially is this necessary when the 
 feet are damp, either from rain, stepping in water, or 
 perspiration. Under no circumstances should a person 
 sit with wet feet, or undertake to dry them by sitting 
 in front of a fire. 
 
 SHOES AND STOCKINGS. 
 
 A great variety of shoes and boots claim the patron- 
 age of. the pedestrian. Few of them stand the test of 
 experience. The so-called " Congress shoes," with 
 elastic sides, compress the cords and vessels of the 
 ankle, heat the foot, and impede the circulation. The 
 much extolled " Waukenphast" last, with an almost 
 straight interior border, and narrowed over the toes, 
 is not suitable for long tramps. 
 
 A good shoe will fit closely nowhere but on the 
 
30 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 instep, where it should exert a firm and equable press- 
 ure. It will allow plenty of room for the toes to ex- 
 pand and extend in every direction, but not enough 
 for them to rub and slip about or override each other. 
 The soles should extend beyond the lines of the up- 
 pers, and the heels be broad and low. The fastenings 
 should be by laces or strings, which alone allow the 
 pressure to be accurately adjusted to the thickness of 
 the stockings and the varying size of the ankle — for 
 the circumference of the ankle varies considerably after 
 a period of rest and a number of hours walking, especi- 
 ally in lymphatic persons. 
 
 In having a measure taken for a walking shoe, the 
 circumference of the foot when the weight of the body 
 is thrown upon it must be taken into account In 
 some persons this is almost the same as when at rest; 
 but in others the increase is twenty to thirty per cent., 
 and for such, a shoe fitted to the foot at rest will surely 
 give annoyance. 
 
 In many parts of Europe foot-tourists wear leggins 
 buttoning from the knee to the ankle, made of soft 
 leather or corduroy. They protect against mud and 
 wet, and relieve the nuisance of the pantaloons flapping 
 against the shins. More devoted pedestrians adopt 
 regular Knickerbockers or knee-breeches, with heavy 
 woolen hose. During our war the daily experience 
 of long marches taught our infantry the convenience 
 of such a costume, and they extemporized it by tuck- 
 ing the ends of their pantaloons into their stockings. 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. $1 
 
 Nearly all authorities advocate socks or stockings of 
 wool — thick, soft, lamb's-wool, without seams or ribs. 
 To some skins, esf>ecially in warm weather, the feel 
 of woolen is irritating and disagreeable. Such may 
 draw on a thin cotton sock under the woolen; or well 
 made smooth and soft cotton hose may answer as 
 well. Any kind that appears to increase the liability 
 to blistering should be discarded. 
 
 Whatever hose are worn, the garter should be dis- 
 pensed with. Not only does the constriction of the 
 extremity it causes produce swelling and heating of 
 the feet, varicose veins, and other local difficulties, but 
 the disturbance thus introduced into the general circu- 
 lation has been proven at times to be the exciting 
 agency of headaches and general malaise. The male 
 sex can employ half-hose; while the ladies can adopt 
 the plan now advocated by the " dress reform" teach- 
 ers, of suspending the stockings from a waist-belt. 
 
 A pedestrian's costume. 
 A due regard to comfort and health will lead the 
 pedestrian to dress in woolen garments, light or heavy, 
 according to the season of the year. The outfit that 
 Dr. Watson recommends in his useful little book en- 
 titled " Hints to Pedestrians," is a shooting jacket of 
 Scotch plaid or tweed, a double-breasted waistcoat, 
 loose pantaloons, a light cap and a flannel shirt. Proba- 
 bly a soft felt hat is superior to a cap. In the heats 
 of summer a ventilating hat, or Indian helmet, is alto- 
 gether advisable. 
 
32 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 A practiced pedestrian will not wear a rubber or 
 other water-proof coat. Even the lightest are too hot 
 and uncomfortable. A square piece of rubber cloth to 
 throw over the knapsack, or with a slit in the centre 
 to be worn as a poncho, is far more useful than a coat. 
 With this, an umbrella may be dispensed with; but 
 the umbrella in turn may be a grateful adjunct for its 
 shade in walking over a sunny road in hot weather. 
 
 The baggage should be light, not exceeding 15 or 
 18 pounds. Some prefer to carry it in pouch, fish- 
 ing basket, or game-bag at the side ; but a well-fitting 
 knapsack distributes the weight more agreeably. To 
 prevent the unpleasant heating of the back from a 
 knapsack, they may now be had resting on a frame of 
 basket-work which allows the free circulation of the 
 air between the weight and the body. 
 
 A well-made umbrella will serve all the purposes of 
 a cane. The best shaft is one of reed, which is both 
 light and strong. The handle should be at right 
 angles to the shaft, or slightly curved. The steel ribs 
 and iron ferule of an umbrella have been accused of 
 attracting lightning, and thus adding to the dangers of 
 a thunder-storm. I mention this, though it is difficult 
 to believe that there is any actual peril in using them. 
 
 HOW MANY MILES A DAY. 
 
 Mr. Ruskin gives it as his opinion that properly to 
 enjoy and appreciate scenery, the tourist afoot should 
 not walk more than a dozen miles a day. The hygie- 
 nist will agree that for the first day or two this should 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 33 
 
 not be much exceeded. The stress and strain of the 
 journey are in the first three days. These victoriously 
 past, the exercise becomes much easier. Anything 
 like a "spurt" is unwise. 
 
 It is justly remarked by a writer on this subject that 
 to push the daily journey to the point of great fatigue, 
 so as to render the muscles sore and trembling, and 
 stiff and painful after a night's rest, is to dispel both 
 pleasure and benefit. We might say that on an aver- 
 age a dozen or fifteen miles will be enough for the first 
 day's walk. If they rest well the following night and 
 rise refreshed the next morning, they can add five 
 miles the second day, and a day or two later increase 
 this to five-and-twenty miles. The warning is useful, 
 however, that whenever the pedestrian finds his appetite 
 diminished, his sleep restless, or a sense of exhaustion 
 the next morning, he should promptly lessen his daily 
 stint. 
 
 With regard to meals and meal-times the old rule is 
 a good one, " light food before the journey and solid 
 food after it." I should recommend however that 
 some food always be taken before setting out in the 
 morning. It is a fact well kpown to all physicians 
 that a person is much more liable to contagious and 
 infectious diseases when the stomach is empty than 
 when it is full. Malarial poison is more active in the 
 early morning than later in the day; therefore the 
 tourist who begins his walk before breakfast runs a 
 double risk of being affected by any dangerous exhala- 
 tion prevalent. 
 2* 
 
34 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 No meals should be taken immediately after arriving 
 at a place of rest, nor should the walk be resumed 
 until at least half an hour after the meal' is finished. 
 
 TO REMOVE THE MUSCULAR SORENESS 
 
 which follows over-exertion in walking, climbing, etc., 
 the most effective measure is to take a hot bath and 
 then to jump into a well-warmed bed. Sponging well' 
 with hot water and rubbing the sorest parts with tinc- 
 ture of arnica are also useful, and take the place of the 
 hot bath. . 
 
 Equestrian Tours. 
 
 That noble animal, the horse, offers a means of con- 
 veyance to the tourist now fallen into much disuse in 
 fully civilized countries, but still indispensable over 
 vast areas of the earth's surface. In South America 
 and Asia, the horse, the mule, or the camel, is still 
 aimost the only, certainly the customary carrier. It 
 would be well for many invalids to turn their attention 
 to horseback exercise as a means of restoration to 
 health. I find in my note-book the opinion of some 
 physician in these words : " Peruvian bark is no surer 
 cure for ague than riding is for consumption." That 
 is saying too much. But the truth remains that in the 
 early stages of this justly-dreaded disease, riding, com- 
 bined \vith the observance of sound hygienic precepts,, 
 offers a very good chance, indeed, to escape the other- 
 wise almost inevitable results. 
 
 But equestrian exercise may do also a great deal of 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOT TRAVELERS. 35 
 
 harm, if unwisely pursued, or in certain constitutions. 
 Thus I have heard of a case where a person riding 
 rapidly against a strong wind brought on a severe attack 
 of hemorrhage from the lungs. Asthmatic persons 
 are often much distressed by the motion. Those who 
 suffer from piles will aggravate their disease by horse- 
 back riding. Those who have any tendency to rupture 
 will incur considerable danger by the jolting. Where 
 there is an aneurism, a fatal injury may be produced 
 by the same cause. And finally, in all acute diseases, 
 the motion is altogether too violent for safety. 
 
 Those who would take an equestrian tour should 
 practice gradually for at least a month before they 
 start, or else pleasure and benefit will be seriously 
 jeopardized. On the road, they should avoid the sad- 
 dle immediately after meals, as the pressure of the 
 abdominal muscles sometimes causes regurgitation and 
 vomiting. A light rubber overcoat is indispensable to 
 protect one from the weather. The saddle should be 
 selected with the utmost care, with a view to ease in 
 riding, and also to the avoidance of galling the ani- 
 mal's back. 
 
 At Sea, 
 
 The hints which will be serviceable to the traveler 
 by sea, will differ somewhat depending on whether he 
 goes by sail or by steam; but in some respects he will 
 have the same difficulties to encounter and the same 
 maladies to guard against. The most certain and per- 
 haps the most disagreeable of these will be 
 
36 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 SEA-SICKNESS. 
 
 This is a terror to many, and a most serious discom- 
 fort to nearly all who go down to the sea in ships. I 
 may as well say at the outset that there is no sure cure 
 for it, not even any very certain alleviative. Yet there 
 are some practical suggestions that will prove of 
 decided service to those who are liable to this com- 
 plaint. Some of these suggestions have recently been 
 thrown into a condensed form in a book on ocean 
 traveling by Dr. W. S. Wilson, a London physician of 
 wide nautical experience. 
 
 He urges the invalid first of all not to make the 
 mistake of supposing that sea-sickness is an unmitiga- 
 ted evil. Dr. Wilson maintains that it is within 
 moderate limits decidedly beneficial, and an admirable 
 if not indispensable preparation for receiving the full 
 benefits of a sea voyage. He adds that it is very 
 seldom prejudicial to health, and that even those who 
 suffer from it most severely enjoy more than their 
 usual health shortly after reaching land. 
 
 It can undoubtedly be diminished in severity by a 
 preparation of the general system for a few days before 
 embarking. This preparation should consist in con- 
 siderable moderation in diet, and the use of some aperi- 
 ent medicine such as the laxative mineral waters. 
 
 When the nausea commences, a bandage such as a 
 handkerchief firmly fastened around the waist will 
 sometimes afford considerable personal relief Very 
 many medicines have been suggested from time to 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 3/ 
 
 time, such as chloroform, chloral, bromide of potassium, 
 and the like. One of the latest is nitro-glycerine. 
 which is prepared in tablets pleasant to the palate, and 
 is reported to give decided relief in about half the 
 cases. Experienced ship surgeons, however, such as 
 Dr. Wilson, are of opinion that these agents, although 
 they do relieve for a time, cause more harm than good 
 in the long run. It is the observation of these gentle- 
 men that it is best not to interfere with the complaint 
 by administering drugs. 
 
 The wisest plan to pursue is as follows : During the 
 first violence of the attack retire to your berth, and 
 keep as quiet as possible. Endeavor to control the 
 retching by a strong effort of the will. Sleep as much 
 as possible. As the debility from lack of food is one 
 of the most unpleasant features of the disease, nourish- 
 ment must be taken in small quantities at frequent 
 intervals. No matter if it does excite loathing at first, 
 and is rejected by the stomach, the effort to take it 
 must be continued. Of the forms of nourishment most 
 suitable, I may specify beef-tea perfectly free from fat, 
 or a solution of Liebig's extract. These will rest 
 better on the stomach if either ice cold or very hot. 
 They may be well seasoned with cayenne pepper, 
 which condiment appears at all times to exert a very 
 beneficial effect upon the weakened mucous membrane 
 of the stomach. Indeed, strong cayenne lozenges are 
 about the most useful remedy known for allaying the 
 uncomfortable nausea which sea-sickness leaves behind 
 it. 
 
38 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 With reference to stimulants, naval surgeons speak 
 well of brandy in very small quantities well diluted 
 with soda water, and also a dry champagne well iced. 
 Less objectionable in some respects, and perhaps' 
 equally efficacious, is the ginger ale now to be had on 
 most ships. 
 
 An important rule is to go on deck as soon as the 
 sickness has moderately subsided, and to remain in 
 the open air as much as possible. Those who have 
 sufficient determination to do this, always make a much 
 more rapid recovery than those who remain below. 
 
 Sea-sickness generally leaves behind it a good deal 
 of constipation, and a few doses of some mild aperient 
 medicine will usually be necessary in order to com- 
 plete the cure. 
 
 Traveling in Search of Health. 
 
 All that has been said about the care which the 
 ordinary traveler should exercise to preserve his 
 health, applies with redoubled force to those whose 
 prime object in a tour is to recruit an exhausted con- 
 stitution, or to escape a threatening disease. There 
 are works written for their especial instruction, which 
 go at length into the benefit of this and that climate, 
 this and that health resort, so that I shall not attempt 
 here to say much on the subject. 
 
 But there are several points which I should advise 
 them very carefully to consider about any locality they 
 propose to visit. These are : 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 39 
 
 1. Its climate. 
 
 2. The facilities for reaching it and iox getting away 
 again. 
 
 3. What accommodations it offers. 
 
 4. What sort of food and cooking one may expect. 
 All these ought to be decidedly favorable, if the in- 
 valid expects to gain the purpose of his journey. 
 
 Both on the journey and at its goal, a delicate per- 
 son should resolutely refuse to sleep in a room on the 
 ground floor, or one that is damp or ill-smelling. 
 They have a pestilent custom in Europe of fumigating 
 a room by burning odoriferous pastilles, done really 
 for the purpose of concealing the noisome odors in it. 
 In choosing a residence, select an open sunny situation 
 with good drainage. In Italy or Florida, a winter 
 room with windows to the south and plenty of air and 
 sunlight is altogether preferable. 
 
 My observation of invalids at health-resorts per- 
 suades me that many suffer horribly from en?iiii. To 
 meet this, a congenial companion is most effectual. 
 Also, some regular employment, suitable to the case, 
 should be adopted. When out-of-door exercise is 
 possible, collecting in some branch of natural history 
 is an admirable resource. If not, some indoor occu- 
 pation must be suggested. I know of a very distin- 
 guished Chicago merchant who learned to crochet 
 beautifully during a long winter spent at a certain 
 New York spring. He was greatly benefited of the 
 dyspepsia and insomnia that troubled him, and no 
 
40 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 doubt this novel occupation had its share in his resto- 
 ration to health. 
 
 The Insect Plagues. 
 
 I. Mosquitoes. — The worst place, perhaps, in the 
 world is Archangel, in Russia, during the summer 
 months; they are so thick that a mosquito- bar is of 
 no value, as it would be filled before it would be possi- 
 ble to get under, I have tried to keep them off by- 
 beating my face constantly with a towel, but to no 
 purpose; the only rest I could get was in a hammock 
 rigged under the main- top-gallant yard of a ship ; they 
 did not follow me so high. The Russians have a 
 means of keeping them out of their houses, but I 
 could never learn the secret. The mosquitoes in the 
 swamps of Louisiana are civil compared to those on 
 the banks of the Dwina, perhaps because they are 
 fewer in number. 
 
 Against mosquitoes in ordinary numbers, and 
 against many other plagues of the insect world, a box 
 oi fresh Persian Insect Powder is a blessed boon. It 
 must be fresh and genuine, and I say this because a 
 large share of that in the market is adulterated or old, 
 and thus worthless. The fresh powder thrown into 
 the air of a room will keep mosquitoes at a distance, 
 and sprinkled rather liberally in and around the bed- 
 ding will prove highly distasteful to fleas and bedbugs. 
 
 For these pests I find what seems a most efficient 
 suggestion in a late work by an English traveler. He 
 introduces it thus: 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 4I 
 
 " In Jerusalem, during the height of summer, I have 
 seen my bed pretty well alive with fleas, and have 
 swept them out with my hands before going to bed. 
 In the excavations or vaults in Mount Moriah, known 
 by the name of ' Solomon's Stables,' I have seen my 
 clothes pretty well covered with them ; and in Athens 
 I have witnessed, at the early dawn, the bugs leaving 
 my bed and crawling up the bedposts by the score, 
 ' lie dicam' by the hundred, and neither place was I 
 bitten once. I adopted the following antidote, formed 
 on what I heard of as being done in Hungary, a land 
 much vexed in the summer-time by fleas, and so on. 
 I oiled myself all over from head to foot with the best 
 sweet or olive oil, and those parts of my back that I 
 could not effectually get at myself, I got oiled for me 
 by the help of a friend or of a servant. Rub the oil 
 well in with the palm of your hand over the whole 
 body — head, face, and all — in a warm room, before a 
 fire if possible, in case it be winter-time; and you may 
 — such is my experience, and without this precaution 
 I am a martyr to fleas — defy either flea, bug, or mos- 
 quito. It is quite a mistake to suppose that oiling 
 one's self with sweet oil is a nasty, dirty operation. The 
 oil sinks into the skin at once, and does not stain 
 either cotton or linen." 
 
 He claims the same will render one generally insect- 
 proof, and it might prove a protection against the 
 black flies, midges, and other pests that mar the pleas- 
 ure of touring in the Adirondacks, White Mountains, 
 
42 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 Maine woods, etc., in the summer months. Some 
 hunting friends of mine who frequent those parts tell 
 me that they bathe all the exposed parts of the person 
 with kerosene oil three or four times a da)/, and find it 
 a complete safeguard. But the odor of this is offens- 
 ive to many. 
 
 Travelers have proverbially strange bed-fellows, and 
 few have knocked about the world for years with- 
 out having met the plague of lice. These disgusting 
 creatures are of several distinct varieties. In Naples 
 one can see the lazzaroni picking one variety from each 
 other's hair and killing them; while in India those who 
 perform that friendly act place the insect carefully on 
 the ground, and would consider it a sin to injure it. 
 Rubbing the head with kerosene oil, and afterwards 
 washing it well, is the simplest treatment for these. 
 
 Those which inhabit the clothing — the familiar 
 " grayback" of our civil war — have a great antipathy 
 to musk, and if this is worn on the person, there is 
 little risk of receiving any of their visits. 
 
 Sow to Escape Malaria. 
 
 The newspapers, and doctors too, have had of 
 late years a great deal to say about malaria. This 
 term is often used incorrectly. Properly speaking, 
 a malarial disease means one which is charac- 
 terized by temporary suspensions, and then recur- 
 rences at regular intervals. Ague, or chills and fever, 
 remittent fever — that which in the South they call 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 43 
 
 " river fever," or " country fever" — are all malarial dis- 
 eases. They prevail very extensively in this country 
 in the late summer and autumn, and every traveler 
 should be on his guard against them. If he is careful, 
 he can almost certainly escape them. 
 
 First, he must live temperately. There is a foolish 
 notion prevalent that whisky and tobacco will counter- 
 act malaria. Listen to what Dr. Martin says about 
 this, who is one of the standard English writers on the 
 hygiene of the tropics : " We hear much among cer- 
 tain classes of the supposed preventive influence of 
 spirits and cigars against night exposure, malaria and 
 contagion; but no medical observer, in any of our 
 numerous colonies, has ever seen reason to believe in 
 any such delusive doctrine, nor is there in reality the 
 slightest foundation for it." 
 
 Next, the clothing must not be too light. Avoid 
 linen, no matter how hot the weather. In India, a 
 long experience has proved the superiority of cotton 
 clothing in preventing the sudden chilling of the sur- 
 face of the body by drafts and changing temperature. 
 Light silk or merino underwear is still better. During 
 some Indian expeditions, the surgeons noted the num- 
 ber of men who wore flannel next the skin and who did 
 not. The latter had invariably the highest sick and 
 death rates. Sailors learn this by experience. They 
 wear heavy flannel shirts even in tropical ports. A 
 large, loose outer garment is also exceedingly protec- 
 tive. The Spaniard wears his long cloak in winter to 
 
44 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 keep himself warm ; in summer, to keep himself cool. 
 If nothing more, at least adopt the oriental " khum- 
 merbund," which is imitated in India by Europeans in 
 the form of a silken, flannel or cotton waistband worn 
 next the skin. 
 
 A further warning is to keep dry. It is a false notion 
 that dampness is injurious only when it is cold. An 
 eminent physician, Dr. John Ordronaux, observes that 
 the further south we go the more protection do we 
 need against moisture, whether as dew, rain, or wet 
 feet. 
 
 The night air must be shunned. Physicians have 
 found that the malarial poison is most active for about 
 two hours after sunset and two hours before sunrise. 
 Not only is it more prudent to remain housed during 
 these hours, but the windows and doors should be 
 closed. In India the natives wrap their heads in their 
 clothes when sleeping in the night air. An open fire 
 is desirable, even when its warmth is not needed. The 
 sleeping quarters should be selected on as high ground 
 as possible, and on an upper story, as the malarial 
 poison is most intense in the lower strata of the air. 
 
 Great fatigue and anxiety lower the tone of the 
 system, and predispose to malaria. It is not always 
 possible for the traveler to escape them ; but let him 
 remember their dangers. 
 
 Now I come to the real preventive of malarial fever. 
 It is the daily use of qtdnine, or some other preparation 
 of Peruvian bark. From three to five grains of qui- 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 45 
 
 nine taken every morning is almost a certain preven- 
 tive, provided that reasonable prudence in other direc- 
 tions be observed. Pills containing this amount can 
 be had of any manufacturing druggist, and should form 
 part of the traveler's outfit. 
 
 To Avoid Taking Contagious Diseases. 
 
 Every one who journeys much will find himself 
 occasionally exposed to infectious and contagious dis- 
 eases. By some simple precautions, he can generally 
 escape the influence of their poison. It is well known 
 that many of them chiefly attack persons whose vital 
 powers are already below par, through fatigue, ex- 
 haustion, or intemperance. These he should guard 
 against. Cleanliness is a strong defence. Frequent 
 bathing and changing of clothing should be observed. 
 
 Avoid kissing, eating or drinking with a sick per- 
 son. Do not enter the room on an empty stomach, if 
 possible. It is well ascertained that at such a time 
 persons are most apt to absorb infection. If neces- 
 sarily exposed to a contagious disease for some time, 
 take a brisk walk or ride in the open air, change 
 your clothes and bathe on returning home. Sir Henry 
 Holland, M. D., himself a remarkable traveler, relates 
 that once, on the Black Sea, circumstances forced him 
 to visit some peasants dying in their foul homes of 
 the terrible pestilential plague fever of that locality. 
 Immediately on leaving them he mounted his horse 
 and galloped briskly for an hour in the pure air, and 
 
4-6 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 to this he attributed his escape from the infection. A 
 dose of quinine (five or six grains) is also a useful 
 safeguard after these exposures. 
 
 When, as in camp or at stations, one is obliged to 
 live in an infectious atmosphere, the free use of dis- 
 infectants becomes imperative. 
 
 THE BEST DISINFECTANTS. 
 
 Sunlight, fresh air, soap and water, thorough clean- 
 liness — for general use. 
 
 For special purposes the following are the most 
 efficient, the simplest, and the cheapest. 
 
 1. Copperas Disinfectant. — Sulphate of iron (cop- 
 peras), one and one-half pounds; water, one gallon. 
 
 A convenient way to prepare this is to suspend a 
 basket containing about sixty pounds of copperas in a 
 barrel of water. The solution should be frequently 
 and liberally used in cellars, privies, water-closets, gut- 
 ters, sewers, cess-pools, yards, stables, etc. 
 
 2. Sulphur Disinfectatit. — Roll sulphur (brimstone), 
 two pounds. 
 
 To a room ten feet square, and in the same propor- 
 tion for larger rooms. Burn on an open vessel and 
 shut up the room for twenty-four hours, 
 
 3. Zinc Disinfectant. — Sulphate of zinc (white vit- 
 riol), one and one-half pounds ; common salt, three- 
 quarters of a pound ; water, six gallons. 
 
 For disinfecting discharges, cess-pools, etc. 
 
 4. Thymol Water. — Made by adding one tablespoon- 
 ful Spirits of TJiyniol to half a gallon of water. Spirits 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 4/ 
 
 of thymol is composed of thymol, one ounce ; alco- 
 hol, 85 per cent, three ounces. 
 
 May be used for all the disinfectant purposes of 
 carbolic acid; it is quite as efficient in this strength, 
 and has an agreeable odor. Where thymol is not 
 available, chloride of zinc may be used — half an ounce 
 of chloride of zinc to one gallon of water. 
 
 Sleeplessness. 
 
 A wise medical writer has said : " Whatever we de- 
 tract from the requisite periods of our natural sleep, 
 will surely be deducted in the end from the natural 
 range of our existence." 
 
 Unfortunately, with many it is not a matter of 
 choice. Insomnia is a horrid fiend which pursues 
 them. I have very little faith in the various mental 
 anodynes — repeating the alphabet, listening to reading, 
 counting backwards, counting your breathing, etc. 
 They may answer in light cases, but are worthless in 
 real insomnia. Dr. Benjamin Franklin's resource was 
 to arise, shake up his bed, walk around the room, and 
 go to bed again. Dr. Duckworth recommends that 
 before lying down one should use the flesh-brush 
 freely, and bathe the face with cold water; and repeat 
 this if wakefulness comes on during the night. 
 
 I cannot approve of opium, morphia, chloral, or 
 spirits, for the purpose of inducing sleep in simple in- 
 somnia. They are apt to induce conditions which in 
 the end are more distressing than the sleeplessness. 
 
48 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 But I do not see any reasonable objection to the 
 moderate use of bromide of potassium. There is no 
 danger of forming the habit of taking it, it leaves no 
 permanent effects, and it is not dangerously poison- 
 ous even in large quantities. In this opinion I am 
 supported by the words of an eminent London physi- 
 cian in the British Medical Journal, who says : 
 
 " In summer, on the Continent, night-trains are the 
 quickest and the coolest; and I have often enabled 
 very weak and nervous women to travel all night with- 
 out damage to health, by giving them 25 or 30 grains 
 of bromide on starting, and the same dose on going 
 to bed the following day, as soon after reaching their 
 destination as possible. The first dose generally brings 
 on the usual bromide sleep; or, at all events, it calms 
 the system, and abates the irksome weariness of body 
 and soul that follows long traveling in a cramped posi- 
 tion. I have permitted patients to take the bromide 
 in this way for two or three successive days, at a 
 week's interval, during a two months' tour, warning 
 them against taking large doses, and against taking 
 the drug day after day during the whole course of 
 traveling without further medical advice. This use of 
 bromides I commend to the attention of the country 
 practitioners who send us patients. If they come to 
 us fatigued by a long journey, exhausted by a bad 
 night, and by not having been able to breakfast, there 
 is an aggravation of some of the symptoms of the case, 
 which may mar the accuracy of our prognosis. If the 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 49 
 
 complaint be slight, and the journey of moderate 
 length, from 25 to 30 grains of bromide, taken on go- 
 ing to bed, will probably give sleep, and insure a quiet 
 state of the system on the following morning. Should 
 the case be serious, and the journey long, the same 
 dose should be given at .starting, and also on arriving. 
 No doubt the journey to town will sometimes seriously 
 aggravate the state of those who come up for advice ; 
 and I know nothing better calculated to prevent this 
 than giving the bromide in the way I have described. 
 Liquid medicines are objectionable in carpet-bags ; 
 but it is easy to have the roughly powdered bromide 
 made up into powders of 20 or 30 grains each, one of 
 which can be taken in half a glass of water." 
 
 Other soothing remedies, of value and practically 
 harmless, are Hoffman s anody7ie and the elixir of val- 
 erianate of ammonia. Either can be obtained at any 
 well-stocked drug store, with directions. 
 
 Travelers are more liable to sleeplessness in some 
 countries than in others. Thus I read the following 
 in an article by Dr. David Young, an English practi- 
 tioner at Florence. 
 
 " There is one circumstance which frequently causes 
 anxiety to newcomers in Italy — the wa?it of sleep. 
 Almost every one goes through some experience of 
 this kind, and invariably a brief sojourn sees this 
 sleeplessness disappear. No drugs need as a rule be 
 resorted to, and the traveler, if he is sensible and takes 
 matters patiently, will not only find that his sleep re- 
 
50 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 turns, but that he can do with very much less sleep 
 than in England, and that after what he would call a 
 sleepless night, he rises more refreshed than he used to 
 do at home after a longer and profounder sleep. This 
 is an important matter, and ignorance on the point 
 has more than once caused needless alarm to trav- 
 elers." 
 
 Another plague of some persons is nightmare, which 
 especially afflicts them in traveling on account of 
 changing beds and surroundings. Those who visit 
 the tropics are also peculiarly liable to it. Generally 
 speaking, it is connected with some digestive disturb- 
 ance. The most efficacious remedy is to take one 
 scruple (20 grains) of bicarbonate of soda in some pep- 
 permint water, on going to bed. 
 
 Sunstroke and Heatstroke. 
 
 During the summer that I passed in Calcutta, I 
 often saw the temperature at 105° in the shade, and 
 sunstroke was fearfully destructive of the foreign popu- 
 lation. Much of this fatality was owing to the careless 
 habits and self-indulgence of the sufferers. Thus I 
 noticed the ship captains who drank spirits freely died 
 in far greater proportion than the common sailors who 
 were restricted in this indulgence. 
 
 Special hats, made of pith about an inch thick, and 
 set off from the head on i reed rests, so as to allow a 
 free circulation of air over the skull, are much used 
 in India, and are valuable protectors. In Australia, 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 5 1 
 
 where the temperature at Christmas is frequently over 
 I iO°, a light muslin turban is twisted into a rope, and 
 rolled around the hat. A bunch of fresh green leaves 
 in the crown of the hat is a popular and sensible de- 
 vice in our hot American summers. Dr. Wood says 
 that the free use of cool water as a beverage in sum- 
 mer is to be recommended as a preventive of sunstroke, 
 as it keeps up the action of the skin by promoting 
 perspiration. 
 
 When a person exposed to intense heat begins to 
 feel giddy and slightly sick, with perhaps a headache, 
 or feeling of pressure on the brain, he is in danger, and 
 should at once seek the shade, open his clothing to 
 the air, and bathe his head and neck assiduously in 
 cold or ice water. It is unwise to take spirits, but 
 some cold tea or coffee, drawn strong, will be very 
 grateful. 
 
 Should the case have gone further, and should he 
 have dropped insensible, then the directions are to 
 loosen his clothing, place him with head and shoulders 
 a little raised, and give him a cold douche, and plenty 
 of it, by pouring jug after jug of water from the height 
 of three or four feet on the top of his head and down 
 his spine; or better, apply an ice-bag, if you can get it, 
 to the head. Sponge also his hands, feet and chest 
 with cold water. Keep him in a darkened room, and 
 where, if possible, there is a nice draft, and let him be 
 perfectly quiet and undisturbed. If he seems likely to 
 sink altogether, put a blister or a mustard poultice 
 
$2 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 on the nape of the neck, and administer strong beef- 
 tea, or strong brandy and water, slowly, by an enema. 
 
 In St. Louis, they have had good success in using 
 warm water instead of cold, a hot mustard bath bring- 
 ing about reaction they claim more satisfactorily than 
 the cold. 
 
 In India many surgeons have adopted the plan of 
 injecting quinine under the skin, which they report 
 has succeeded better than any other treatment. 
 
 Poisonous Bites and Stings. 
 
 Spirits of ammonia (spirits of hartshorn) is the stand- 
 ard application for the stings of bees, wasps, hornets, 
 etc. It should be diluted with twice its bulk of water 
 and applied to the part. When it is not at hand, as it 
 rarely is, some bicarbonate of soda may be rubbed up 
 with water and laid on the part ; or it may be washed 
 with a strong solution of it. This is also a first-rate 
 application in burns, scalds, and in poisoning hy poiso?i 
 ivy, ov poison oak. 
 
 Simpler remedies are to rub the bitten spot with a 
 raw onion, or the end of a cigar, or plug well-chewed; 
 or to place upon it a poultice of wet clay. 
 
 If the bite is that of a venomous sferpent, suck the 
 wound immediately, tie a string tightly around the 
 limb between the wound and the body, and bathe the 
 injured spot with water containing as much spirits of 
 ammonia as the patient can bear 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 53 
 
 I>iar^^hcea and Constipation. 
 
 The change of food and water is very apt to dis- 
 turb the action of the bowels in travehng, producing 
 either constipation or diarrhoea. Especially is the 
 latter apt to occur in hot weather. 
 
 It is well not to medicate much for it. Dr. Francis 
 Galton, who is good authority, recommends that 
 nothing be taken but broth or rice. Others find the 
 " dry diet," that is, eating but little solid food and en- 
 tirely abstaining from liquids, to produce rapid relief 
 When such simple measures do not answer, a dose of 
 castor oil will frequently remove irritating substances 
 and be better than beginning with astringents. 
 
 Of medicines, the common paregoric elixir, a tea- 
 spoonful two or three times a day, or the clialk mix- 
 ture of the pharmacists, are valuable preparations. A 
 very excellent combination is the following: 
 
 Diluted sulphuric acid 15 drops. 
 
 Laudanum 10 " 
 
 Essence of ginger 20 " 
 
 Cinnamon or j)eppermint water I ounce. 
 
 To be taken at one dose and repeated every two or 
 three hours till relief is obtained. 
 
 The constipation from which many suffer in traveling 
 can most generally be relieved by diet. Oat meal, 
 corn grits, cracked wheat, figs, dates, fresh ripe fruit, 
 and the like, will usually enable one to dispense with 
 medicines. A tumbler of water before breakfast is of 
 use. 
 
54 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 If these measures are inadequate, some of the laxa- 
 tive mineral waters now so readily attainable may be 
 employed, as the Friedrichshall, Saratoga, Geyser or 
 Congress, Hunyadi, etc. 
 
 Of drugs, the least objectionable are castor oil and 
 rhubarb, as these do not leave a habit of constipation 
 after them. One to three grains of rhubarb may be 
 taken after each meal, or once daily, as required. 
 
 Catching Cold. 
 
 The remedy for a commencing cold, which long ex- 
 perience has proved to be worth all others, is a full 
 dose of opium in some form, either 30 or 40 drops of 
 laudanum (or, what is better, McMunn's elixir), or 3^ or 
 y^ grain of morphia, or one or two grains of pure gum 
 opium, just as is convenient. It must be taken early 
 in the disease, and no particular care about diet or 
 housing one's self need be observed. Repeat if 
 required. 
 
 Some persons, however, cannot bear opium in any 
 form. It makes them dreadfully sick. For these I 
 have used and recommend 20 or 30 drops of the 
 muriated tincture of iron taken in plenty of water; or 
 a teaspoonful of the ammoniate^ tincture of guaiacum ; 
 or 20 or 30 drops of tincture of belladonna. Any of 
 these will promptly break up a commencing cold in 
 most cases. 
 
 If the cold has had several days' start, and has passed 
 into a bronchitis, " settled on the chest," as people say, 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 55 
 
 then the above measures are of no use, and might, in- 
 deed, be injurious. For such a condition, especially 
 when there is some feverishness, a feeling of soreness 
 and tightness across the breast, and a dry irritating 
 cough, go to bed in a warmed room, and take the fol- 
 lowing powder after you are in bed : 
 
 Dover's powder 10 grains, 
 
 Quinine 5 grains. 
 
 For one dose. 
 
 This, especially if accompanied by a glass of hot 
 lemonade, will produce free perspiration. 
 
 There are any number of cough mixtures. I have 
 found the following as useful as any. Take 
 
 Syrup of ipecac, 
 Syrup of squills, 
 Paregoric elixir, equal parts. 
 Dose. A teaspoonful three to six times a day as needed. 
 
 A light mustard plaster on the chest is often effi- 
 cient in removing soreness, and hastening recovery. 
 
 Sore Throat. 
 
 This very common complaint in our climate is often 
 aggravated by exposure in traveling. The popular 
 remedy is chlorate of potash. This is obtainable in the 
 form of " compressed pellets" at most drug stores, and 
 a box of them should form part of the voyager's bag- 
 gage. They are often sufficient, and are certainly 
 most handy to use. 
 
 But where there is decided inflammation of the 
 
56 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 throat, with swelling of the tonsils, and pain in swal- 
 lowing, I advise prompt recourse to what I consider 
 the true specific remedy in this disease, and that is 
 guaiacmn. The ammoniated tincture is the most con- 
 venient form and I use in preference the following 
 gargle. Take 
 
 Ammoniated tincture of guaiacum ^ ounce, 
 
 Liquor of potassa i drachm, 
 
 Cinnamon water 4 ounces. 
 
 For a gargle. Use about two teaspoonfuls at a time, every hour or 
 two. 
 
 I have rarely failed to cure an inflammatory sore 
 throat with this, inside of twenty ^four hours. 
 
 Persons much subject to sore throat should bathe 
 the throat outside with cold water every morning, and 
 gargle with a tumbler of cold water containing a tea- 
 spoonful of tincture of myrrh. 
 
 Toothache. 
 
 If the traveler prepares himself for his journey as I 
 have suggested at the opening of this book, he will 
 not be likely to be afflicted with toothache. But as he 
 will meet others who are not so wise, he may recom- 
 mend them to begin with a dose of salts, aperient 
 mineral water, (5r other laxative medicine; as soon 
 as this operates, in all probability the pain will be 
 gone for a week or two. Meanwhile, apply a small 
 mustard poultice outside, just over the place where the 
 pain is most violent, and rub the gum and the tooth 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 5/ 
 
 with chloroform and laudanum mixed. If the tooth 
 be a hollow one and very painful, then put in the 
 cavity a little cotton-wool dipped in chloroform and 
 laudanum. It will ease the dreadful pain. A little 
 bit of cotton dipped in a solution of shellac, or of gum 
 mastic and spirits of wine, makes a good temporary 
 filling for very bad teeth. Creasote is the safest do- 
 mestic remedy to employ, if the pain be very bad; it 
 is used by putting a little bit of cotton-wool dipped in 
 it into the hollow of the tooth. Do not try to put it 
 in for yourself, or you will scarify your tongue and 
 gums. 
 
 Mr. Turner, an English writer, says in a recent 
 book: "The following remedy for toothache was 
 given me by a dentist of very great reputation: ' First 
 wash the mouth well with warm water ; then use the 
 following tincture : Tannin, ten grains ; gum mastic, 
 one-half drachm ; ten drops of carbolic acid ; dissolve 
 in half an ounce of sulphuric ether.' Paint the de- 
 cayed hollow of the aching tooth over with this, twice, 
 or even thrice, using a camel's-hair brush. I have 
 never found it to fail ; and I have used it myself 
 some hundreds of times, both at sea and on shore. 
 The remedy will last good a month or more. Then 
 apply it again if the pain returns : it does not hurt the 
 other teeth. Take care and keep the tincture in a vial 
 with a glass stopper — not a cork, as the gum mastic 
 makes the cork stick fast in the neck of the vial, and 
 break." 
 3* 
 
58 HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 Iliccotigh. 
 
 This is to some people a distressing annoyance, and 
 appears sometimes to be produced by the jolting mo- 
 tion of the cars. With some it may be checked by 
 pressing the point of the finger firmly on the center 
 of the upper lip. But the most reliable remedy is 
 pounded ice or ice cream. Few hiccoughs from any 
 cause will resist a plate of the latter agreeable com- 
 pound. 
 
 Earache. 
 
 For simple cases, the result of exposure to cold, a 
 hot mush poultice will usually relieve the pain. The 
 domestic remedy of a roast onion, wrapped in flannel, 
 and applied to the ear as hot as it can be borne, is even 
 better. The habit of stuffing the ears with cotton is a 
 bad one, and should be avoided. (See also p. 6i.) 
 
 Nose Bleed. 
 
 This unpleasant accident often occurs to children on 
 journeys. Ice to the back of the neck, and stretching 
 the hands and arms in a straight line above the body 
 will generally check it. Snuffing up tannic acid is also 
 efficacious, and when persons are subject to such at- 
 tacks it is well to have this drug along. 
 
 Vertigo or Dizziness. 
 
 Many persons are constitutionally subject to this 
 on ascending a height or on looking downward. To 
 a traveler it is an exceedingly inconvenient weakness, 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 59 
 
 and those who are Hable to it should not attempt to 
 make important mountain cHmbs, or to expose them- 
 selves to crossing narrow bridges, etc. There is no 
 certain prevention of it. Some have succeeded in 
 overcoming the tendency by accustoming themselves 
 first to moderate heights, and then to greater ones. 
 The affection is purely mental. If the mind can be 
 steadily occupied with other thoughts, and the gaze 
 directed upwards or horizontally, the dizziness will 
 not appear. 
 
 This variety of vertigo is by no means the same as 
 that from which many are habitual sufferers. This 
 latter is generally of dyspepsia, and is often brought 
 on by the use of tobacco or coffee to excess. By re- 
 ducing or omitting the use of them, it will frequently 
 disappear. 
 
 Suggestions about Medicines. 
 
 A traveler does not want to carry a trunk-full of 
 drugs ; but there are a few which it is very wise foi 
 him to have with him for immediate use, and when re- 
 mote from drug stores. Their choice depends a good 
 deal on where he is going and the nature of his busi- 
 ness. Leaving these special considerations to him, I 
 would name the following as of service on all journeys 
 of length : 
 
 Bromide of potash. This has been already men- 
 tioned (page 48). As I have said, it is most conveni- 
 ently carried in powders of thirty grains each. One, 
 
6o HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 
 
 two or three of these may be taken at intervals. It 
 soothes the system, relieves nervous headache, lessens 
 the irritability of the stomach, overcomes sleeplessness, 
 and has no permanent bad effects. 
 
 Opium or morphia. These extremely valuable pre- 
 parations have some serious objections. The habit of 
 taking opium, either in the form of laudanum or mor- 
 phia, or of smoking the gum, Chinese fashion, is a 
 most deplorable one. But as a medicinal agent, opium 
 occupies the first rank. Taken early, it checks the 
 ill-effects of exposure to cold, relieves pain, induces 
 sleep, and soothes nervous irritability. The average 
 dose of gum opium for an adult (children do not bear 
 it well), is one grain ; this equals a quarter of a grain 
 of morphia, or twenty drops of laudanum. One must 
 remember, in using it, that it is a poison, and that re- 
 peating such doses may be dangerous. 
 
 Paregoric, a popular and excellent remedy for loose- 
 ness of the bowels, contains one grain of opium to the 
 ounce, combined with useful stomachics. 
 
 Mustard is the most convenient and effective coun- 
 ter-irritant. The mustard paper or prepared mustard 
 plasters to be found in any first-class drug store are 
 cleanly, and occupy little room, while they are an ex- 
 cellent remedy for pains and aches. 
 
 Qtdnine is indispensable to the traveler in malarious 
 regions; as a preventive of malaria I have already 
 spoken of three or five grains once a day ; but if a chill 
 has been experienced, that much should be taken three 
 
HEALTH HINTS FOR TRAVELERS. 6 1 
 
 or four times a day. Pills can be bought, containing 
 three grains each, which are handy to carry. 
 
 Chloroform is especially useful for the immediate 
 relief of pain. A few drops of it on a handkerchief, 
 and occasionally inhaled, will often relieve a headache 
 and dispel the nausea of sea-sickness or the motion of 
 a car. The following mixture is most excellent for 
 earache : 
 
 Chloroform I drachm, 
 
 Ohve oil I ounce. 
 
 Mix and shake well together. Then pour 20 or 30 drops into the 
 ear, and close it up with a piece of raw cotton. 
 
 Extract of beef, now to be had of excellent quality, 
 put up in tins, is well worth having with one when in- 
 valids are in the party. A gill, nicely warmed, will 
 act as a delightful stimulant, and in fatiguing journeys, 
 or when meals are not to be had regularly, it is an ex- 
 cellent substitute for substantial food. 
 
 These are the medicinal preparations which the 
 traveler will find most useful, and he will generally 
 meet with some emergency in which one or other of 
 them will be welcome. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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