154 Historical 



man in mountain ascents, that is, to 6882 meters, on the sides of 

 Ibi-Gamin, August 19, 1855. 



Here is the summary of their highest ascents: 



On some very lofty plateaux which serve as pastures, a tempo- 

 rary dwelling for a few months was established at an altitude of 

 about 16,500 feet (5030 meters); it is at this height, probably the 

 highest of the sort in the world, that the shepherds of Thibet pitch 

 their tents and even build permanent dwellings. 



From personal experience we can say that for ten or twelve days, 

 man can remain considerably above this altitude, perhaps not without 

 distress, but positively without any very serious consequences. In our 

 explorations of the glacier of Ibi-Gamin, from the 13th to the 23rd of 

 August, 1855, we camped for ten full days, in the company of eight 

 men who were our attendants, at really extraordinary elevations. 

 During this time, our camp was pitched at 16,642 feet (5070 meters) 

 at the lowest. The highest point was 19,326 feet (5890 meters); that 

 is the highest elevation at which we passed the night. Another time, 

 we camped at 19,094 feet, later at 18,300, and the rest of the time, 

 between 18,000 and 17,000 feet .... 



One day we crossed a pass at 20,459 feet (6230 meters), and 

 three days before, August 19, 1855, we had climbed on the sides of 

 Ibi-Gamin to the height of 22,259 feet (6882 meters). So far as we 

 know, that is the greatest height to which anyone has ascended in 

 the mountains .... 



On the peak of Sassar, August 3, 1856, we reached a height of 

 20,120 feet. Before us, the brothers Alexandre and James Gerard 

 ascended to 19,411 feet on the peak in Spiti, October 18, 1818 .... 



So far as the symptoms to be considered in acclimatization are 

 concerned, we can speak from our personal experience. When we 

 crossed passes at an elevation of 17,500 to 18,000 feet for the first 

 time, we first felt serious symptoms. A few days after, when we had 

 traversed the highest points and passed several nights at these alti- 

 tudes, we were almost completely free from these disagreeable 

 symptoms, even at the elevation of 19,000 feet. What the consequence 

 of a longer stay in these lofty regions would have been, we cannot 

 say. But we consider it very likely that a longer residence would have 

 had serious effects on the health .... 



The effect of the altitude varies with the individual. A healthy 

 man is likely to suffer less. The difference in race is not particularly 

 important. Our Hindu servants, who accompanied us to the highest 

 points, suffered from the cold more than the* Thibetans, their comrades, 

 but they did not feel the effects of the decrease in atmospheric 

 pressure more. 



For most people, the influence of the altitude begins to appear 

 at 16,500 feet, the elevation of the highest pastures. Our camels and 

 our horses were very definitely suffering at about 17,500 feet. 



The symptoms produced by the rarefaction are: headache; diffi- 

 culty in breathing; oppression in the chest, which may go so far as to 

 bring on the spitting of blood, and very rarely slight nasal hemorr- 



