PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 1 July 1903, Page 84

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

THE FARTHEST NORTH OF ALL.

Last week I promised you an account of the dash for the Pole made by one of the relays sent out for that purpose. But after reading the second volume and seeing so Kttle that had not bean already given by Nansen, whose book I gave the gist of when it came out, I came to tflie conclusion that I would just mention the s< ' »menfc and boil down what ike autL. -o say on alcohol, the action of cold on flesh, the intensity of the cold, and on the sleeping fcags so largely ueed in Arctic and Antarctic explorations. Some of the words are good dictionary ones, but it will not harm you to look them up.

FOOD AND DRINK.

It is always interesting to know wnat the ■opinion of Arctic explorers is upon the question of foods and drinks. Dr Aohillo Cavalli Molinelli, the doctor accompanying the exjpedition, gives a chapter on the- use of fats and alcoholic liquors, and I give you the gist of it: — "A considerable amount of fat (had been left in the rations, for it is the foodstuff wl"ch is the most efficient and the most suited for the production of heat, and to satisfy the desire, felt equally by all, of consuming a large quantity of fatty matter, 'due to that necessity which impels the •ystem to seek some compensation for an increased loss of heat, butter was allowed to be eaten ad libitum at the table. It- is .wonderful how the body itself provides in■tiuctively for its real wants by carefully modifying its demands and" making us desire »nd prefer that nutriment most fitted to 'establish the balance between what iaea-ten,a ea-ten, paid what is consumed, according to our surroundings. The quantity of fat which could be introduced into the stomach and digested and assimilated without auy bad results was a surprise to us Itoliane. "Among the foods which influence the Xiervous system the preference was given 4© tea and coffee, which were much drunk, while the use of fermented liquors was restricted. A email quantity of wine- was allowed in the evenings at cupper (about 4oz 3dr of red wine, Barolo, or 2oz ldr of white win), with a large amount of alcohol, port wine, or Madeira. We all preferred the rod wine — I do not know if on account of our habits and tastes or because it was pure, or whether il was on account of its astringent taste owiuc; to the tannin which it contains. But it is certain that after that glass of Barolo one felt a peculiai feeling of comfort, and the digestion seemed easier and under a kindly in•fiuence which did not occur when we drank iwhite wine. The Norwegians attributed tlie increase in tlie weight of our bodies which took place during the winter to the Barolo *vino, and used to say that red wine fatten?. ■I believe that good red wine might be admitted with excellent Tesults among the many remedies suggested a3 antiscorbutics.

"For many reason* both our stock of wine fend its consumption were limited. Besides the difficulty of preserving it at those low iemporatures and the necessity of taking (Special precautions for that purpose, wo should have to do without it during the pledge excursions to the north, which was \o take place during the> coldest months of year and would require us to exert our itrength to tho utmost. A cup of strong liot tea or coffee, by its action on the pcrvous system, on ilio circulation, or on Nutrition in general, reorp^erita a tonic cvhich is much more efiicacious. powerful, End natural than wine or a'rohol for the purpege of helping tlie sy^tom. to resist severe toil and of roinvi^jrating it after tho great organic wr-'tp caused by thp climate and fatipue. Tho change had thr-re-fere to bo made slovly in order that the body should be prepared for the exclusive use of tea and coffee and become accustomed to it.

"Although other distilled alcoholic liquore, £uch a3 cognac, rum. brandy, and whisky, l^ere among our stores, they were only employed as seasonings or medicines, and their hse otherwise was prohibited. We brought Jtheni home almost untouched. We were obliged to demand and obtain a larger protuotion of heat from, some more lasting and )afer pource than the absorption of a small {piantity of alcdhol. When the 6tomach is In good condition and able to digest easily pnd quickly it is a workshop for the production of combustible e^tronts on which we tan reckon at any moment. The greatest pare should therefore be taken to avoid the least disturbance in the functions of the Various orcrnns intended for the digestion and assimilation of food.

"Thoreh I should not wish to deny to ulcohol the character of a heat-producmor food, which is unanimously attributed to it py physioloai^t I*.1 *. hvtrienist';, and the public, It was not advisable to forget its injurious action on •» :: — portent organs of the body, especially on the mucous rnemrwane of tho stomach and on the liver. Under the peculiar conditions of our life it would liav« boon easy to pasa from use to ibu°e, fcdth disastroup results easy to foresee. In Quoting an authority on the heat- (riving nroperties of alcohol, the doctor Mys : ' Tfc is An error to consider the warmth which is

felt after absorption of alcohol as a production of heat; the sensation of naimth dees not suffice to demonstrate an increase of the production of heat, but merely indicates a fow of blood to the skin. By njea-uring with a calorimeter tho "heat given out by a man's arm after the absorption of alcohol, although there was an increased serration of heat, I was not able to detect any increase in the emission of heat.'

"As a means of checking' waste it may be said that alcohol has had it? day. According to that erroneous idea, it was advised to give it to all obliged to undergo fatiguing muscular labour, both workmen and soldiers, without distinction. Fresh researches providentially modified that view, and brought back the action of alcohol within its true bounds — to the position of a. stimulant of the nervous system. Moreover, the artificial and transient action of alcohol is followed by depression, prostration of strength. But we required vigilance- and promptitude in order to face all the dangers always lyng 1 in wait for ue. For these reasons, as a compensation for the great less of heat, it was considered 1 preferable to provide a large amount of nutritive and heat-producing aliments and to make use of tea and coffee as nervous stimulants."

By this it would eeem that the doctor liad' no objection to allow the moderate use of alcohol when the men were encamprd at Cape Fligely, but when risks had t-o bs token and privation endured abstinence was practically insisted on. Another striking example of prohibition when dangerous work had to be undertaken : In the record of the small party that made the dash for the Pole there is not one word to indicate that alcohol was used.

fHE INTENSE COLT)

Several .imes reference is made to the low reading of the theimomet-er. Records of 52deg C, or 93deg below freezing- point Fahr., are met with more than once. This me-ane 61deg below zero on tho Fahr. thermometer in general use with us. One a party was oul with the sledgep, and Cagni — it was ho who reached "farthest north" — slipped into the water up to h.'s middle, and this is how ho describee his experience: "But I pull myself out at once by crawling ou the ice, on which I instinctively flung myself forward in ord^r lot to go to tho bottom. Before I could stand on my legs my left was already encased in a stiff tube of ice, which had formed on my troupers and on my boot. The watet froze ?o rapidly on touching my clothes, which voro \ery cold, that it had not time to pa.v thnms-h the stu'f or the leather of my boot?. This was very lucky, for thus I not only escaped bavins: niy legs- or feet dangerously frozen, but also tho necessity of changing my clothes."

THE SLEEPING BAGS

The following will give an idea of what the men are po.-^sibly enduring on the South Polar ice at tlie present moment: — '"That evening we found our down sleeping bags frozen as hard as wood. Two men had to pull them to strftch them, and even then it was hard work for us to slip into them. We suocood at last in getting Into tho reindeer skin bag — not to slee-p, but to feel our teeth chattering for hours. Our feet are the only part of oui bodie« which cause us no suffering ; they are warm when our day's work ie ended, and as we immediately take off our shoes and put on the long Jaeger stockings they remain so — that i? to say, relatively to the rc^t of our body, which is completely benumbed. There at" patches of ice on our knees like horses' kneecaps, and wp have others both large and eoisll (sometimes thick enough to be scraped off with a knife) everywhere, but especially on our cheeks, on our backs and in all places where the perspiration oozes through. Aiter being pome time in our sleeping bag all the ice =t'ck'Pg to one's clothes begins to melt, and in spite of tho want of air, which renders the interior of the bag suffocating, mo has the sensation which bears a distant resemblance to comfort. One is naturally very damp, but it if possible to fall asleep without our teeth chattering."

FARTHEST NORTH OF ALL.

There is no need to (rive an account of the da<=h made for the Polo by Cagni, Petigax, Fenoillet, and Canepa. It is simply a repetition of tho same tiling — snow wastes, worries with the dogs, the breaking down of sledges, and so on. Suffice ifc to say that on April 25, 1900, they reached latitude 86deg Mrnin, or about 21min ->r miles ahead of Nansen. The retreat, like Xan'.e-n's, was full of danger and privation: but they ramo safely through, and r^n t h<-{[ Cape Fligoly on July 23. On Aug i- 1f •* way In.; u been blasted nut fnr fl-r -'..ip. the expedition set sail for Noraav. Unfortunately three men belonsing to nno tf th" relays disappeared, engulfed probably in tlio ice.

THE ACTION OF COLD

Tlie action of cold on the skin is identical with that of heat; there is the same succession of stages, from eimple irritation to mortification of the part affected, but naturally with a different physical action. We have all observed its development when producing anaesthesia by means of ether spray and ethyl chloride. The part beromes pale, whitish, anaemic, insensible, and if the action lasts long and is too strong it freezes and mortifies. According to the injury received, there follows either a simple hyperse-

rnic rfdrn^s or the formation of plilycUena, with a fail of epidcrru'e or the uoath of the tissues, which are attacked by dry gangrene. In eases of a certain gravity lliero is seen on tho &econd day, between the li-vinsj and the dead flesh, an extiava-ation of blood, which affords a. rather safe criterion in estimating the extent and gravity of tho injury. In tho fingers especially, if the cutaneous tissues only have been attacked, the effusion of blood takes place in tho subcutaneous cellular tissue, snd invades all the parts affected, which turn a. dark colour; but if the mortification , has ponetrated deeply and to the centre a circular daTk ring is formed only at the point where both meet. In the first place, it in advisable to let out the extravasated blood by means of a puncture, ac the pressure which it exercises not only causes intense pain, but is an obstacle to the circulation of the blood, already much impeded in the

surrounding tissues. The process of reparation is always slow, as the cicatrisation must takra place in tissues not in their normal condition, where, both circulation and mnm'vation have undergone serious disturbances. A proof of this is seen in the subsequent results; for after complete r-icatrisafion, there remain for many months in tho injured locality an extraordinarily morbid and painful sensibility <to cold, a lower local temperature, a diminution of the serse of feeling, and a dangerous liability to relapse. Curioufly, no one was affected with chilblains on the hands or feet.

Are any of you kern on taking part in one of these Polar expeditions? At the beet of it, the men Tiave pretty hard times.