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  • Nepal; child eating rice, Terai, 1986
  • Nepal; street of dentists, Kathmandu 1986. In 1982, there were 17 government-trained dental surgeons in Nepal, some of whom practised in this street. For those too fearful or who could not afford to visit one of these surgeries, a nearby shrine was dedicated to Vaisha Dev, the god of toothache. Surrounding the god was a plank of wood into which thousands of nails had been driven. Planting a nail was believed to get rid of toothache by pinning down all evil spirits and influences.
  • Nepal; foot transport in the Khumbu, 1986. Two young Sherpas carry planks of wood up to the village of Kunde (altitude 3600 metres). Wearing boots which are barely held together and cast-off clothing from Western trekkers, these men transport building materials up a precipitous track.
  • Nepal; Kunde hospital in the Khumbu, 1986. This is the only hospital in the Khumbu region. A 'Visitors Note' at the gate reads: 'Interested visitors may be shown the hospital between 8 am - 5 pm depending on the availability of staff. For this service a donation is appreciated. The hospital depends on donations.' In 1986, the hospital was remarkably well equipped considering its isolation. There were facilities for minor, and in an emergency, major surgery and dentistry, local and general anaesthesia, and an X-ray machine running off its own generator. Some diagnostic facilities were carried out, and the walls of the main clinic were lined with shelves packed with a good supply of drugs, bandages and sutures.
  • Nepal; herdsmen of the Khumbu, 1986. Three herdsmen stop for refreshments at the Shomare Hotel. The sign above the door of this tea shop reads: 'Wel-come to Shomare Hotel', evidence that westerners pass the door en rout to the high mountains.
  • Nepal; town life in the Khumbu, 1986
  • Nepal; air transport in the Khumbu, 1986
  • Mount Everest; Khumbu region, eastern Nepal, 1986
  • Nepal; village well, Rapti Valley, Terai, 1986
  • Nepal; shops, Kathmandu, 1986
  • Nepal; deforestation in the Khumbu, 1986. Stacked firewood outside a Sherpa house at Phakding (altitude 3200 metres). Also shown are carrying baskets (bottom right) and prayer flags attached to thin sticks stuck into the ground. In common with many smallholdings, the ground floor of the house is reserved for animals while the family lives upstairs. By the early 1980s, it was estimated that massive deforestation was contributing to the loss of 240 million cubic metres of topsoil in Nepal each year. Sherpas rely on wood for fuel but lack of chimneys in most homes contribute to the coughs and bronchial congestion common to most. Poor hygiene is prevalent because precious wood must be destroyed to create hot water.
  • Nepal; travelling butcher in the Khumbu, 1986. Well-dressed Sherpas buying yak meat from butcher, near Lukla (altitude 2827 metres). Meat is not generally eaten by Sherpas who are Buddhists, adhering to the oldest, unreformed sect of Tibetan Buddhism known as Kar-gyud-pa. Buddhists make up about 5.3% of Nepal's population whilst 89.5% are Hindu. The cultural heritage of the Sherpas, however, has always remained with Tibet.
  • Nepal; washing clothes in the Baghmati river, 1986
  • Nepal; Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur, 1986
  • Nepal; Sherpa porters in the Khumbu, 1986. Well-dressed Sherpa porters prepare for a trekking expedition organised for a party of western vacationists. They will guide, bring up the rear, cook and strike camp. Such expeditions pay cash wages far in excess of anything Sherpas could hope to earn elsewhere and such income is invested in loans, cattle, land, tradeable articles and jewellery. Until the influx of mountaineering expeditions following Hillary's Everest climb (1953), western medicine was unknown in the Khumbu. Distribution of mainly analgesic and antibiotic drugs has led to misuse.
  • Nepal; bridge over river in the Khumbu, 1986
  • Nepal; Kathmandu Valley, children of Bhaktapur, 1986. Three children stand in Durbar Square. The little boy has genu valgum (knock knees). In the mid-1980s, nearly half of all Nepalese children died before reaching the age of 5, and life expectancy at birth was 51 years for men and 50 years for women. Conditions associated with poor hygiene and sanitation, including gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhoea, and parasitic infestation, were common.
  • Nepal; Sherpa children at a water pipe, 1986
  • Nepal; Kunde village with its hospital, 1986