74 pi"' Mac Culloch on Malaria on Ship-board, 



ought to be avoided ; and ships should be directed to be off 

 and on, particularly at night, whenever the service admits of 

 this, as the chief danger is between sunset and sunrise. 



If, in certain harbours and ports, such as St. Lucia, for 

 example, or Port Royal, stores can be sent on board by 

 launches or otherwise, this should be done, to prevent the 

 hazard from anchoring in a port. 



Boats should never be sent ashore from sunset till after sun- 

 rise, and men should never have leave at night. 



No man should leave the ship in the morning till after 

 breakfast, or after a dram ; and smoking, or tobacco in any 

 shape, according to the practice of Holland, should be made the 

 universal practice. 



In any case of a vessel hovering or anchored on a tropical 

 or other suspected coast within four or five miles, should the 

 sea breeze, or any wind, change, or come to blow off shore, 

 they ought to stand off or weigh immediately ; and in these 

 cases, also, all hands unnecessary on deck should be ordered 

 below. The night-watches, in all these cases, ought to bo 

 reduced to the least possible number of men ; and the men 

 of these watches ought not merely to be permitted, but ordered, 

 to smoke while on deck. 



Boats employed in cutting wood in tropical rivers, should 

 always arrive, if possible, and quit, during full water, as the fevers 

 are produced during the exposure of the mud. If fires can be 

 lighted during this service, that ought to be a standing order. 



No boat to be in such a place at night. 



It is believed that gauze veils prevent the malaria from 

 attacking those exposed to it ; — the least that can be said is, 

 that it deserves a trial. 



These are the general precautions ; and it is believed that if 

 adhered to, with such others as may be derived from the same 

 general principles, a great portion of the mortality in ships in 

 hot climates would be avoided. I will only add, that for 

 African service it is recommended that negroes or natives 

 should be adopted to perform those duties, in wooding and 

 watering, that have proved so destructive to British seamen. 



The other set of precautions relate to the production of 

 malaria from bilge-water, or a foul ship, and they are, per- 



