134 Historical 



In 1816, 1817, and 1818, Captain Webb made vain attempts to 

 cross the Himalayas, and see again the sacred lake of Manasarowar; 

 the Tartars stopped him on the way. His observations were pub- 

 lished in an interesting article in the Quarterly Review; 213 some 

 of them interest us particularly: 



Without raising the least doubt (says the editor who reviews 

 Webb's letters) in regard to the difficulty in breathing experienced by 

 M. Moorcroft in his ascent of Ghaut, we shall call attention to the 

 fact that higher ascents have often been made without any such effect, 

 which seems to indicate that these effects depend greatly upon the 

 state of the health. Captain Webb, however, confirms these claims, not 

 only by the evidence of his own sensations, but by that of the moun- 

 taineers themselves, who experience them as much as strangers do, 

 and he assures us that neither horses nor yaks are immune to them. 

 The natives call this illness Bis-kae-huwa, that is, poisoned air, and 

 attribute it to the emanations from certain flowers; it appears when 

 one is walking or when one is tired. 



"Everyone", says our traveller, "complained of loss of appetite 

 for several days after our arrival at Nitee. As for me, I felt exactly 

 the sensations which precede an attack of fever, with great oppression 

 and exaggerated action of the heart and viscera. But one of those 

 who accompanied me suffered one of those attacks to which the resi- 

 dents of Boutan are subject, at the beginning of the season, and which 

 they consider as directly produced by the Bis-kee-huwa. He had gone 

 down to the river's edge at the close of day, and when he wished to 

 climb back up, he lost the use of his legs and even lost consciousness; 

 however, he still retained some feeling, but to me he looked like a 

 man struck by apoplexy. His extremities were cold, and after vainly 

 trying to revive him by friction and by the application of warm stones 

 on his hands and on the soles of his feet for several hours, I decided 

 to give him an emetic; a great quantity of foam was thrown up, and 

 in two or three days he recovered completely. I think that this secre- 

 tion of foam is an effect peculiar to the inhalation of toxic vapors. 

 (P. 420.)" 



At about this same time the brothers Gerard began the cele- 

 brated series of journeys across the Himalayas. 



In 1817 (August 27 to October 14) first journey of Captain 

 Alexandre Gerard, from Soobathoo to Rarung and return. He 

 was accompanied part of the way by Dr. Govan, of whom we shall 

 speak later. His account was published for the first time from 

 his travelling notes by Lloyd in 1841 214 (P. 191-267) . There is no 

 mention of mountain sickness in it. 



The next year he set out again, this time accompanied by Dr. 

 J. G. Gerard, his brother. They went from Soobathoo to Shipke, 

 and returned to Soobathoo (September 22-November 22, 1818). 



