252 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



in the sun, it is a foolish proceeding to sit in his wet 

 clothes, particularly when the sun has gone down and the 

 temperature is falling. I suppose nothing has caused more 

 fever in the tropics than this, and it is a wise plan at all 

 times to have a warm tweed jacket or a woollen sweater 

 handy, to put on when the air gets chilly. In the tropics 

 changes of the temperature take place very rapidly, and, as 

 one is usually very lightly clothed in the heat of the day, 

 there is all the more reason to be prepared for the cool of 

 evening and night. Another frequent cause of a chill is 

 lying on a bed half naked, and going to sleep like this. 

 An hour or two before dawn the temperature falls several 

 degrees, and the sleeper becomes chilled, and then pays 

 for it with a sharp attack of fever. 



The best thing is to be covered by wearing pyjamas, and 

 have the blankets folded and ready to draw up, and this is 

 done unconsciously, as it becomes a habit. 



Fever is the most common complaint, and I do not 

 intend to mention others, as I have little medical knowledge; 

 but it will be a good thing for the newcomer if he notes 

 what I have said. It is, of course, almost impossible to 

 escape getting fever, especially in a country where 

 mosquitoes are plentiful ; but although a man has got the 

 parasites in his blood, he can guard against bad fever. It 

 is a good thing to make a practice of taking five grains 

 of quinine two or three times a week, particularly in the 

 rainy season, when the mosquitoes are most abundant. 



Some people say that quinine does them harm, though 

 the majority of Europeans will find that they do not 

 have fever so often if they take it frequently. Warburg's 

 Tincture suits some people better than quinine, though 

 personally I think the latter is much the best drug for this 

 complaint. 



Europeans should live fairly well in the tropics and not 

 stint themselves of a few luxuries at times, as nothing 

 causes sickness more than unpalatable food. 



