80 



PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY. 



[Part T. 



bercle has taken place to any considerable extent, and 

 is accompanied by softening, the morbid condition is 

 not unhkely to advance with alarming celerity ; and 

 the only compensating ckcumstance is the diminution 

 of apparent suffering, ascribable to general languor, 

 and the absence of the bronchial irritation occasioned 

 by cold humid au\ 



Dysj^epsia. — Habitual dyspeptics, and those affected 

 by hepatic obstructions, had better avoid a lengthened 

 sojourn in Ceylon ; but the tortures of rheumatism and 

 gout, if they be not reduced, are certainly postponed 

 for longer intervals than those conceded to the same 

 sufferers in England. Gout, owing to the great cutaneous 

 excretion, in most instances totally disappears. 



Precautions for Health. — Next to attention to diet, 

 health in Ceylon is mainly to be preserved by systematic 

 exercise, and a costume adapted to the climate and its 

 requirements. Paradoxical as it may sound, the great 

 cause of disease in hot chmates is cold. Nothing ought 

 more cautiously to be watched and avoided than the 

 chills produced by draughts and dry winds ; and a 

 change of dress or position should be instantly resorted 

 to when the warning sensation of chilhness is per- 

 ceived. 



Exercise. — The early morning ride, after a single 

 cup of coffee and a biscuit on rising, and the luxury of 

 the bath before dressing for breakfast, constitute the 

 enjoyments of the forenoon ; and a similar stroll on 

 horseback, returning at sunset to repeat the bath ^ pre- 

 paratory to the evening toilette, completes the hygienic 

 discipline of the day. At night the introduction of the 

 Indian punka into bed-rooms would be valuable, a thin 

 flannel coverlet being spread over the bed. Nothing 



^ ''Je me souviens que les deux 

 premieres aunees que je fus eu ce 

 pais-la, j'eus deux maladies : (dors 

 je pris la coidume de me Men laver 

 soir et matin, et pendant 16 ans que 



j'y ay demeure depuis, je n'ay pas 

 sent! le moindre mal." — Eibeyro, 

 Hist, de risle de Ceylan, vol. v. ch. 

 xix. p. 140. 



