of this fashionable winter-city offer too many temptations to the invalid to neglect his health.

Twenty or thirty years ago, no doubt, the invalid had no choice a winter in Egypt necessarily meant spending that season in Cairo. But now, thanks mainly to the enterprise of the great tourist-agents, Luxor, Assouan, and the Nile have been rendered available for serious invalids. The above remarks apply, of course, to the genuine invalid, as distinct from the large class of valetudinarians or quasiinvalids. For this class of visitors, and especially overworked persons and those suffering from worry and "nerves," who require mainly change of scene and rest, Cairo, with its innumerable resources and varied interests, is an ideal wintering-place. The above-mentioned objections to Cairo in the case of real invalids apply, however, to those contemplating spending the whole winter in the city, and not merely a few weeks. In many cases a whole winter on the Nile would be found monotonous, so the best disposal of time would be to spend the early winter months at Luxor or on a Nile voyage, and postpone the return to Cairo till the beginning of February. November, December, and January are the least suitable months for Cairo, owing to the risk of malaria from the moisture arising from the subsiding inundation of the Nile. Then, when Cairo gets too hot, Ramleh, near Alexandria, will be found an excellent intermediate health-resort for a few weeks before leaving Egypt.

Helouan-les-Bains, within half an hour of Cairo by train, or Mena House, at the foot of the Pyramids, would, however, be a better residence than Cairo itself. Helouan is, in fact, the oldest health-resort in the world. There are about a dozen sulphur springs similar to those of Aixles-Bains, but rather stronger. Those who have undergone a course at Aix can continue their "cure" here during the winter and spring, when the Aix establishment

is closed. The atmosphere is remarkably pure and salubrious, and the electrical tonic influence of the desert climate is felt here to a striking degree. There are good hotels here, two resident doctors, and several pensions. The Administration have shown themselves thoroughly alive to the requirements of modern tourists by providing lawn-tennis courts, laying down golf links, etc. The chief drawback is that, at present, the English and American guests are rather swamped by the Teutonic element, the baths belonging to a German directorate.

Another resort, which is strongly recommended by Dr. F. M. Sandwith, Dr. Hermann Weber, and other eminent climatologists, is Mena House, at the Pyramids. Its advantages are thus summed up by Dr. Sandwith:

"Life at the large hotel here, numbering some 120 bedrooms, is for those who wish for purer air than that of crowded Cairo, but who desire to be within driving distance of their friends, and who dread the somewhat sombre monotony of Helouan. The Sphinx and the Pyramids, besides many attractions of their own, insure a constant stream of visitors during the winter months. The air at both suburbs is probably equally pure and equally dry. For the comfort of the guests, there are provided a resident English doctor and chaplain, a chapel, a noble dining-room for 250 people, European chambermaids, swimming bath, excellent conservancy arrangements, drinking water from a special well in the desert, steam laundry, a stringed band, books and magazines, billiard-tables, and photographrooms. There are desert-carts for driving, horses and camels for riding, occasional races, golf and lawn-tennis, and capital shooting from November to April. The climate of Helouan and the Pyramids is much the same as in Cairo, except that the air is fresher, purer, and drier."

Whole volumes have been written by meteorologists and medical experts on the climatology of Egypt, but its chief characteristics can be summed up in a few words: a remarkably pure and salubrious atmosphere, almost continuous sunshine, rainlessness (the rainfall of the Upper Nile Val

ley is practically nil), genial warmth (which, owing to its lack of moisture, is not oppressive), and highly tonic qualities; but, to counterbalance these good points, great lack_of equability. The great difference between day and night temperature is, no doubt, a very serious drawback. This lack of uniformity is, of course, inevitable in all countries where a high temperature and immunity from rain are combined. In short, it is a meteorological axiom that equability cannot exist with a very dry atmosphere and a high temperature. Equability implies, of course, a certain amount of humidity. An ideal climate would combine the equability and softness of Madeira, the warmth and dryness of Upper Egypt, and the chemically pure atmosphere of Biskra in Algeria.

The following summary of the climatic conditions of Cairo, by Dr. F. M. Sandwith, prepared for my work on the health resorts of South Europe and North Africa (3d ed., 1896), may be conveniently inserted here:

"To save space, it is only necessary here to consider the seven winter months from November 1 to May 31. The barometer seldom varies, though there is a steady fall from 29.99 in December to 29.82 in April. Rain amounts to one inch and a quarter, the number of days upon which drops or showers fall being about fifteen. Clouds during January and February reach a maximum of 4 upon a scale from 0-10. The prevalent wind is from the north or northwest, and is never sufficiently fierce to keep patients within doors. The Khamseen blows from the southwest desert during March and April, seldom for more than two days in a week. It is unpleasantly hot and dusty while it lasts, and drives many visitors away from Cairo. The following table, drawn up from my own observations, shows the temperatures to which patients may be exposed. It is based on the principle that a sick man need not concern himself with the minimum outdoor temperature of a place, for that is always at an hour when he ought to be safe in bed. The vital information for him is the average maximum shade temperature out of doors, together with the average minimum bedroom heat, and the daily range between them. It will be noticed that there is no very serious