The elements of military hygiene : especially arranged for officers and men of the line / by P. M. Ashburn.

  • P. M. Ashburn
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The elements of military hygiene : especially arranged for officers and men of the line / by P. M. Ashburn. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    128/330 (page 118)
    serving it are almost always monotonous and unat- tractive, and result in unnecessary waste, improper methods of eating, and some disgust with the food. The company officer should try to influence these condi- tions for the better, so far as he can do so. Owing to the long confinement in exceedingly narrow limits dur- ing the trans-Pacific voyage, unremitting attention to all sanitary details is urgently demanded. All cases of sickness or disease of any kind should be reported to the surgeon early, in order that he may isolate conta- gious diseases, as well as give treatment. The two ills from which a majority of men suffer are sea-sickness and constipation, the former at the beginning of the voyage, the latter throughout it. The tendency to sea- sickness is lessened if the man goes aboard the boat in good general condition, with his bowels cleaned out and his system free from the poisons produced by over- eating, alcoholism, and other excesses. Constipation should be prevented, if possible, by the use of rather bulky foods, such ae oatmeal, fruits, and vegetables, by daily exercise and a well-maintained habit of visiting the closet regularly and making the effort to defecate.] Under varying conditions, troop trains may be com- posed of any kinds of cars that are in use. The gen- eral principles of troop hygiene should be applied as far as practicable, whatever the accommodations. The most common faults in troop trains in time of peace are poor policing and dirty cars, and an insufficiency of water for drinking and cleaning purposes. Both of these faults are usu- ally attributable to the railway officials, but the troops are partly to blame in that they are sometimes care- less and wasteful of the water, and make very little