452 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



sealskin boots are worn. The dress of the women is essentially similar to 

 that of the men, save that the shirts are worn longer, like short skirts. The 

 entire suit of clothes weighs very little more than our winter clothes minus 

 the overcoat, and is incredibly warm, owing to its imperviousness to wind 

 and to the non-conducting properties of the warm air held in the fur. 



The same clothes are worn summer and winter, save that in summer one 

 shirt is usually sufficient. By the time summer comes some of the hair is 

 worn off the shirt, making it cooler. As soon as the snow begins to melt, 

 the winter igloo begins to leak, and the family move out and live in tents. 

 At present the tents are mostly canvas two thicknesses low and dome- 

 shaped. Formerly tents were made of deer or seal skin. The tent sticks 

 are bent Arctic willow or whale ribs. Two thicknesses of the lightest canvas 

 are much warmer than one of the heaviest, on account of the air space 

 between. The tents and winter igloo are kept so warm that formerly when 

 indoors the natives removed their shirts and sat naked to the waist. The 

 missionaries have somewhat discouraged this habit, without, I think, 

 improving the general health of the community. 



Tuberculosis is the great plague of the country. It was present, I am 

 told, when white men first came into the country. I saw five cases of Pott's 

 disease, one case of caries of the sternum, which, I believe, was tuberculosis, 

 and a large number of cases of pulmonary phthisis. In summer the pul- 

 monary cases improved markedly, while living out of doors, only to relapse 

 again in winter. 



Venereal disease is less common now than formerly in Alaska, as the 

 natives come in somewhat less contact with the crews of the whale ships. 

 I, personally, saw no gonorrhoea or secondary syphilis, and only three cases 

 of tertiary. 



Very soon after the settlement of Nome an epidemic of measles swept up 

 the coast with frightful mortality. Many who recovered fell victims to 

 pneumonia and phthisis. This epidemic carried off nearly half the inhabit- 

 ants of some of the villages. 



A disease similar to, if not identical with, influenza is endemic at Point 

 Barrow, and any stranger passing through is almost sure to contract it. 

 The natives recognize the contagious nature of this disease, as one of them 

 told me he should never take his children to Point Barrow lest they get sick. 



Human nature is very much the same in. the Arctic as elsewhere, and 

 imaginary diseases and neurasthenia are not uncommon. There was one 

 native who, for no apparent reason, decided that he was going to die, so he 

 smashed his drum and sat moping in his tent. I could find nothing the 

 matter, but gave him a placebo of about I oz. of castor oil, with excellent 

 results. This same fellow on another occasion saw a picture of a white 

 man's devil, and promptly decided he had one inside him. Forty-five 

 minims of tincture capsicum were efficacious in removing his satanic majesty. 

 The man showed me a place on his stomach where he said the devil came 

 out. An old woman came to me saying that her head was (nayictok) 

 broken. I could find nothing the matter, but gave her a couple of migraine 

 tablets and some methylene blue. The break was entirely mended, and the 



