Health. Korean ideas of hygiene are almost as negligible as those of a Hottentot. Travelers should always be on their guard against sampling native dishes and beverages, and on no account should water or milk be drunk unless recently boiled. The average Korean well is little short of a pest-hole, and is often the cause of epidemics. While the progressive Japanese have installed modern waterworks in certain of the large cities, it is difficult to prevent an ignorant populace from defiling the sources. Boiled milk is always to be had in the foreign hotels, and the excellent Takaradzuka Tansan Mineral Water (p. 629) is imported from Japan. For the traveler who takes ordinary precautions Korea is healthier than most countries in the East.