Is mosquito netting PC?

[jbtusa]

I am learning from another forum that Capt Lewis' Corp of Discovery carried mosquito netting with them on the trek to the Pacific Ocean. Is this true? If so, does anyone have the cite or a reference?

Having a piece of mosquito netting to sleep with at rondy or out trekking with would sure be nice, so if anyone has any info on this, it would be "sorely" appreciated.

[depot7254]

Check their inventory lists , they did bring it with them. There are also accoutns of men using netting in the F+I War

[baldy1]

Using mosquito netting reduces the risk of malaria infection and other mosquito borne diseases by a factor of 10 to 20! This connects with the use of PC. By using this method the viruses or elements which carries virus are getting away from your unit.


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[Loyalist Dave]

[Swanny]

In 1806 Alexander Henry the Younger took a rather creative approach to protecting his flesh from biting bugs. On July 7th, he recorded, "We were plagued with clouds of mosquitoes. I had made a kind of mask of thin dressed caribou skin, to cover the head and face, and thus was more at ease than my companions, who could scarcely defend themselves from these troublesome insects." (Henry 285)

The historical painting "Crossing Mosquito Lake" (Hind) is an image of voyageurs draped in veils of gauze netting to protect their heads from the insect plagues.



In his memoirs of life with the Hudson's Bay Company during the mid-nineteenth century, H.M. Robinson also described the use of mosquito veils. "In vain are trousers tied tightly about the ankles, and coat sleeves at the wrist, while mosquito veils surround the head. The enemy finds his way in single file through apertures unseen by the human eyes, and bites without mercy; while his personal escape secured by the impossibility of hunting him up without making way for the surrounding hosts of his confreres." (Robinson 125-126)

While traveling by light canoe from York Fort to Norway House in 1847, Michael Ballentyne was required to pack very lightly for the journey. Most of his personal baggage was transported at a later date in freight boats (Inland Boats). In spite of the severe weight restrictions of his outfit, Ballentyne made a special point to bring along a mosquito net. He described it as "a light affair of gauze, capable of compression into very small compass." (Ballentyne 213). Though he refrained from using it for a considerable time, he finally gave in to necessity. "I cut four stakes, drove them into the ground, and threw over them my gauze mosquito-net, previously making a small fire, with wet grass on it, to raise a smoke and prevent intruders from entering while I was in the act of putting it on; then, cautiously raising one end, I bolted in after the most approved harlequinian style. (Ballentyne 227)

Ballentyne R; Hudson Bay; Everyday Life in the Wilds of North America; T Nelson and Sons, Paternoster Row, London, Edinburgh, and New York; 1876.

Hind, Henry Y: “Mosquito Lake”; Explorations in the Interior of the Labrador Peninsula, the Country of the Montagnais and Nasquapee Indians; Henry Youle Hind. London: Longman, Green, Roberts, Longman, & Green, 1863. Source: National Library of Canada © Public Domain

Robinson HM; The Great Fur Land or Sketches of Life in the Hudson's Bay Territory; G.P. Putnam's sons; New York; 1879.

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[Loyalist Dave]

Thanks for the refs. I was hoping for a bit earlier stuff. Hind lived from 1833 - 1889, so the refs are all mid 19th century, except for the leather mask of 1806. I had read that the most common mosquito defense was draining of swamps and smoke. I was hoping for earlier netting, oh well.

The mosquito vector for disease wasn't scientifically identified in Western medicine until the last quarter of the 19th century. Since many rondy's are pre 1840, gauze might be ok, but actual mosquito netting isn't "PC". For 18th century events, probably a firm no to both.

Who cares, keep it in your tent and sleep well. DEET isn't PC either, but everybody uses it, or nearly everybody. I don't but I dont' get bit. I have lots of B vitamins, garlic, and vinegar in my diet, so perhaps they don't like my blood?

LD

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[virginiaregiment]

Burnley and Trowbridge have some linen mesh that might work for this...

[depot7254]

R Rogers mentions it in his journals while in the Carolinas. He refers to it , by mentioning it to sleep under , he calls it cat gut netting or somehting like that , also the L+C iventory lists can be found online form Nat'l Geographic

[Le Nez]

LaSalle expedition back to the mouth of the Mississippi (but ended up at Matagorda Bay, Texas)

In 1684, while at a resupply stopover at Petit Goave on the Island of Haiti, Henri Joutel mentioned in his journal that the expedition acquired sheeting to be used as mosquito covers at their destination. Evidently these were well appreciated on the Texas coast.

Le Nez

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[Isaac]

Whoa... Le Nez lives!!

A good "gauze" that I have seen used effectively (while I donated blood) was cheese cloth.

IW

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