10 The Nile as a Sanatorium. 



honour of the profession be it spoken, that abroad as at home, 

 they never tire in giving their best aid cheerfully to all 

 claimants. Native doctors, if met with in a few of the larger 

 towns, are generally some degrees below the Italian mounte- 

 banks who draw teeth and dispense medicines at a country fair. 

 The people, with their inherent fatalism, prefer charms to physic, 

 and have most faith in them. 



It must also be borne in mind that though England be 

 stigmatized as a variable climate, the climate of Egypt is more 

 constantly changing. We get at home great changes of wind 

 from different points of the compass ; but they usually last for 

 days together, and the difference in temperature throughout 

 the day, or at night, is not very violent. But on the Nile 

 the temperature shifts with every few hours, increasing to 

 mid-day, decreasing to evening, and being freezingly cold in 

 the night ; so that the constitution of an European is severely 

 tried when the thermometer may be at 60° at ten in the 

 morning, 100° at noon, and down to 40° in the night. It brings 

 forcibly to mind the words of the patriarch Jacob, when he 

 complained — " By day the drought consumed me, and the frost 

 by night." There is no provision whatever for obtaining fires 

 in the boats, and doors and windows are so constantly warped 

 by the sun that they let in cold draughts on all sides, 

 which can only be guarded against by good coverings. The 

 traveller must in truth be prepared for hot summer days and 

 cold winter nights, and will often find it necessary in the day to 

 change his attire as heat or cold predominates. It is therefore 

 evident that for an invalid to trust 'implicitly to glowing 

 accounts of Egyptian days, not taking the dark side of the 

 picture in the aspect of Egyptian nights, would be condemning 

 himself to a great risk. Healthy travellers, writing enthu- 

 siastically of their experiences, are very blind guides ; and 

 doctors who have no travelled experiences whatever are blinder. 

 To some invalids it would be little short of a condemnation to 

 death to send them up the river in draughty boats, without 

 chance of medical aid. The invalid should be well prepared 

 for this ; take his own medicine chest, if he cannot take his 

 own doctor, never come on deck before eleven o'clock a.m., or 

 be seen there after sunset, and closely curtain his cabin- 

 windows before going to rest. 



The conclusion that the author of this paper arrives at is 

 simply this — that advantage should be taken of the Egyptian 

 day, and the night guarded against. Therefore he is of opinion 

 that a residence in Cairo is preferable to a boat life on the 

 Nile. Cairo has good hotels and resident medical men ; full 

 advantage may be taken of the bland climate by day, and 

 comfort be had at night in hotels kept by Europeans. There 



