PROTECTION FROM LAND-LEECHES 321 



to bind the feet and legs in leech-proof cloth, this being preferable 

 to various ointments which are supposed to discourage the leeches 

 from their meal. In a tropical chmate where so many diseases 

 and unfavorable conditions beset one on every side, it is impor- 

 tant to take every precaution to keep in perfect health. The 

 loss of blood from the attacks of leeches, and the portal given 

 for entrance of bacteria and other organisms in the wounds made 

 by them, might make all the difference between life and death 

 in the struggle for existence in these disease-plagued climes. 



