24 FREER. 



Filipinos during the period of 15 to 40 years of age (average about 25 

 years) is 115 to 116 millimeters and that it does not differ from the pressure 

 at the same ages for Americans residing in the Philippines. For neither 

 race is it very materially below the figure to be expected for white men 

 residing in temperate climates." 



Mr. H. D, Gibbs has endeavored in the laboratory of organic chemistry 

 of the Bureau of Science to determine what changes are brought about in 

 the animal economy by exposure to severe sunlight, and has obtained 

 indications in rabbits of the formation of methsemoglobin, but the work is 

 not sufficiently advanced to be definite. A report on these results will 

 therefore be postponed. 



From all of our observations it would seem legitimate to 

 draw the conclusion that a climate such as we have in the Phil- 

 ippines, where we are surrounded by the sea which modifies the 

 extremes of temperature and where we have such a large pro- 

 portion of cloud, is not by any means deleterious to the white 

 man if he takes ordinary precautions which are not as elaborate 

 as those he would take in a northern climate to keep out the 

 cold. The differences in maximum insolation as compared with 

 temperate regions are not great, if any, and many days occur in 

 which the effect of the sunlight is greatly modified. The in- 

 dividual needs only to seek the shade to avoid any deleterious 

 results from even the greatest insolation. If individuals must 

 be exposed to the sun, as is the case with troops on the march, 

 they can be given adequate protection by light, preferably white, 

 clothing and helmets, but it must be remembered, as shown 

 above, that perspiration is a great factor in keeping the man 

 normal under these conditions and that, during exercise in hot. 

 weather much water is lost during the day. Many of the un- 

 toward effects attributed to the sun are probably due to the 

 rapid loss of water from the system and could be avoided if the 

 individual were in a position to drink enough to preserve the 

 equilibrium. Two canteenfuls per man are certainly not suffi- 

 cient. The temptation to drink available water along the road, 

 also, may become irresistible, and sickness caused by infection 

 from such a source may be attributed to the sun as a predisposing 

 factor. Even in places like Khartoum, where the average effect 

 of insolation is much higher than in Manila, the results can be. 

 avoided just as they can be here, and it is only in the places 

 where the radiation from the earth at night is so great that no 

 relief is experienced from excessive heat, that the climate may 

 become such as to preclude the possibility of persons unaccus- 

 tomed to such conditions living in health. In the Philippines 



