Note 61 — Chapter II
Reading edition
According to Dr. James Hunt (‘Acclimatization of Man’) the European cannot live at a great elevation for any length of time in the Northern hemisphere; the natives of the Southern can. The highest inhabited spot in Europe is the Théodule Pass, between Wallis and Piedmont: it is temporary, and only 10,000 feet high; whereas Peruvians thrive permanently at 7000 to 12,000 feet of altitude. ‘This difference between the North and South hemispheres is caused perhaps by the difference in attraction at the North pole. In the Northern hemisphere the ascent of a high mountain causes a rush of blood to the head, and in the Southern there is an attraction of blood to the feet: hence the cause of the sickness felt on ascending a mountain in that hemisphere.’