The Effects of tropical light on white men / by Major Chas. E. Woodruff.

  • Woodruff, Charles Edward, 1860-1915.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Effects of tropical light on white men / by Major Chas. E. Woodruff. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    therefore at no disadvantage. Likewise in the arc- tics the small amount of heat which could be received from the sun's rays is insignificant compared to the advantage of heat conservation of white fur. Tropi- cal people have found out that black clothing is com- fortable from the fact that it radiates better, hence they incline to black clothing very markedly when they are not exposed to the sun's rays. When ex- posed to the sun they wear white or light colors to avoid the heat of absorption, as we see in the case of Arabs. These facts apply to black men also, and the increased heat received in the short time he is exposed in the sun is more than compensated for by the advantage of being able to radiate at other times. Indeed our means of disposing of heat by perspira- tion, etc., make it exceedingly difficult to absorb too much even if the skin is black. Nevertheless protec- tion is not perfect, for as a rule all tropical people hide from the midday sun whenever they are able to. It is remarkable how all classes in the Philip- pines disappear into their houses in the middle of the day. In Java the natives do not dare to work in the fields from 9 or 10 A. m. to 3 or 4 p. M. When exposed to a high degree of dark heat, as in kitchens and fire rooms, an environment wholly un- like his natural one, the negro is at a greater dis- advantage than a white man, because he absorbs more. I have seen a negro collapse from a heat stroke in a ship's galley, and his white companions escape. In his native state he is nocturnal to a large