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“Practically all soldiers’ wives and families are given an opportunity of a change from the more unhealthy stations to the hills during the hot weather.

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“Our experience shows that the following cases are most benefited by a change to the hills:—­

“1.  All cases of malarial fever and malarial cachexia.

“2.  Patients recovering from acute diseases.

“3.  Convalescents after surgical operations.

“4.  Cases of anaemia and debility.

“5.  Cases of chronic venereal diseases.

“6.  Neurasthenics.”

Not only are all such cases greatly benefited at Baguio, but patients suffering from dysentery and chronic diarrhoea are also greatly benefited and often cured by a sufficiently long sojourn there.  This is the experience of the civil government at its hospital and of the military authorities at the Camp John Hay hospital, according to General Bell.

Continuing the quotations from the letter of the director of medical services in India:—­

“We have found that by the judicious use of hill stations for convalescents both the invaliding and death rate of the British troops in Indian have been enormously reduced and the efficiency of the Army has been increased with a considerable financial saving to the Government.

“It is advisable that all troops and families should be accommodated in huts, especially during the rainy season in the hills, but there is no doubt that they are benefited by the change even if they have to live in tents and are thereby exposed to considerable discomfort.”

The importance attached by the British to hill stations is shown by the fact that there are no less than 29 in India, their height above sea-level varying from 2000 to 7936 feet.  Of these eleven have no permanent accommodations and are used for men only.

I add the following extracts from a letter of Major P. M. Ashburn, Medical Corps, U.S.A., president of the army board for the study of tropical diseases:—­

“A man can remain in the tropics indefinitely without being actually sick, if infectious diseases are avoided.  This is fast leading to the fallacy that we can advantageously remain many years in these latitudes.  The fact that while a man may never be sick, he yet may have his physical and mental vigour greatly impaired by prolonged exposure to heat is thus lost sight of.  No man can do his best work, either physical or mental, if he is hot and uncomfortable.  The same feeling of lassitude and indisposition to exertion is experienced at home during the hot summer, which after a few years here becomes chronic.”

“It is a matter of official recognition that government employees need to get away from the heat of Manila each year, hence the removal to Baguio.

“It is likewise commonly recognized that many women and children become so run down and debilitated as to need to go to Japan, Baguio or the United States.