CHAP. II. J 



HEALTH. 



73 



nished force. This is soon followed, however, by the 

 disagreeable evidences of the effort made by the system 

 to accommodate itself to the new atmospheric condition. 

 The skin often becomes fretted by " prickly heat," or 

 tormented by a profusion of boils, but relief being speedily 

 obtained through these resources, the new comer is seldom 

 afterwards annoyed by a recurrence of the process, un- 

 less under circumstances of impaired tone, the result of 

 weakened digestion or climatic derangement. 



Malaria. Compared with Bengal and the Dekkan, 

 the climate of Ceylon presents a striking superiority in 

 mildness and exemption from all the extremes of atmo- 

 spheric disturbance ; and, except in particular localities, 

 all of which are well known and avoided 1 , from being 

 liable after the rains to malaria, or infested at par- 

 ticular seasons with agues and fever, a lengthened resi- 

 dence in the island may be contemplated, without the 

 slightest apprehension of prejudicial results. The pes- 

 tilential localities are chiefly at the foot of mountains, 

 and, strange to say, in the vicinity of some active rivers, 

 whilst the vast level plains, whose stagnant waters are 

 made available for the cultivation of rice, are seldom or 

 never productive of disease. It is even believed that 

 the deadly air is deprived of its poison in passing over 

 an expanse of still water ; and one of the most remark- 

 able circumstances is, that the points fronting the aerial 

 currents are those exposed to danger, whilst projecting 

 cliffs, belts of forest, and even moderately high walls, 

 serve to shelter and protect all behind them from attack. 2 



1 Notwithstanding this general con- 

 dition, fevers of a very serious kind 

 have been occasionally known to at- 

 tack persons on the coast, who had 

 never exposed themselves to the mi- 

 asma of the jungle. Such instances 

 have occurred at Galle, and more 

 rarely at Colombo. The characteristics 

 of places in this regard have, in some 

 instances, changed unaccoxmtably ; 

 thus at Peradenia, close to Kandy, it 

 was at one time regarded as dan- 

 gerous to sleep. 



2 Generally speaking, a flat open 

 country is healthy, either when 

 flooded deeply by rains, or when 

 dried to hardness by the sun ; but in 

 the process of desiccation, its exhala- 

 tions are perilous. The wooded 

 slopes at the base of mountains are 

 likewise notorious for fevers; such 

 as the terrai of the Nepal hills, the 

 Wynaad jungle, at the foot of the 

 Ghauts, and the eastern side of the 

 mountains of Ceylon. 



