MEDICAL EXPERIENCES. 
233 
items of every travelling outfit. The brighter 
the water the more injurious it is in the tropics; 
and although the self-restraint which the way¬ 
farer has to impose upon himself when he comes 
upon a sparkling stream, bursting out of the rock 
in some shady forest nook, is very painful, yet 
it is absolutely necessary. The safest drink is 
obtained from the puddles on the road, as these 
are only replenished by the rains of heaven; and 
by dropping the charcoal-ball of one’s pocket- 
filterer into them, a pure if not very refreshing 
draught may be obtained. It is often advisable, 
however, to avoid smelling the puddle, or even 
scanning it too closely, as both odour and ap¬ 
pearance are often very much against it. 
My daily life at Andevoranto usually began 
about 6.30 in the morning, with attendance upon 
the verandah for the distribution of medicine, 
consultations, and investigating fresh cases. The 
physical troubles of the Malagasy are numerous 
and complicated. They are very much subject 
to scrofula in various forms, and to all kinds 
of skin complaints, some of a very loathsome 
description. The sulphur ointment of the British 
pharmacopoeia I found the only specific in most 
of these cases. Many of my patients were 
sufferers from the bites of the crocodiles which 
infest all the rivers throughout the island. The 
danger of these bites is that the teeth of the 
