VIII.
MEDICAL HINTS.
By the late William Henry Crosse, M.D.
Revised and brought up to date by Andrew Balfour, C.B., C.M.G., M.D.
The following hints, which were compiled by the late Dr. W. H. Crosse, formerly the experienced medical adviser of the Royal Niger Company, based upon previous editions of this work, have been edited so as to bring them up to date. A good deal remains as Dr. Crosse wrote it, but several sections have been almost entirely re-written, in order to bring them into line with modern views. New sections have been introduced and there have been numerous additions and corrections.
Introduction.
In the following pages the chief emphasis has been laid upon the care of the health in the tropics; but it must be remembered, that whilst by far the greater proportion of travellers go to the tropics, most of these hints for the preservation of health apply equally well for all climates.
Though many subjects have been briefly dealt with, certain matters have been rather more fully written up, such as the treatment of wounds. It is, in the author’s opinion, so important that the traveller should thoroughly understand what is meant by ‘surgical cleanliness’ that the usual methods observed by surgeons to ensure it have been plainly set forth. The author, of course, understands that in many cases it would be quite impossible to carry out the instructions in every detail, but it is hoped that a thorough knowledge of the principles underlying the correct treatment of wounds will assist the traveller in doing the best possible for his patient in any emergency, and under even the most unfavourable circumstances.
It is hardly necessary to observe that travellers in remote regions, and especially in tropical climates, are much more exposed to physical ills and diseases than most residents at home, and that they are more likely to be placed beyond the reach of skilled medical and surgical aid when it is most required. It is chiefly for the use of the non-professional traveller that the following pages have been written, and with this aim in view the symptoms and general treatment of the diseases and injuries with which he is most likely to be brought in contact are dealt with in simple, non-technical language.
Every traveller should supply himself with either Bernard Myer’s ‘Atlas of First Aid Treatment’ or Hastings Young’s ‘First Aid to the Sick,’ books of general utility. Travellers visiting countries with hot climates will find Garry’s ‘Some Factors Influencing Health in Tropical and Sub-tropical Climates’ a useful book, despite a few errors, while the small ‘Primer of Tropical Hygiene’ by Colonel R. J. Blackham, is a valuable guide to things hygienic as is Professor Simpson’s ‘Maintenance of Health in the Tropics.’