1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 435 



But this is of less consequence than another disease, 

 which is very frequent, and appears on every part 

 of the body, in large broad ulcers, with thick white 

 edges, discharging a thin clear matter ; some of 

 which had a very virulent appearance, particularly 

 those on the face, which were shocking to look at; 

 and yet we met with some who seemed to be cured 

 of it, and others in a fair way of being cured ; but 

 this was not affected without the loss of the nose, or 

 of the best part of it. As we know for a certainty * 

 (and the fact is acknowledged by themselves), that 

 the people of these islands were subject to this loath- 

 some disease before the English first visited them, 

 notwithstanding the similarity of symptoms, it cannot 

 be the effect of the venereal contagion ; unless we 

 adopt a supposition, which I could wish had 

 sufficient foundation in truth, that the venereal dis- 

 order was not introduced here from Europe, by our 

 ships in 1773. It assuredly was now found to exist 

 amongst them ; for we had not been long there 

 before some of our people received the infection ; 

 and I had the mortification to learn from thence, that 

 all the care I took, when I first visited these islands, 

 to prevent this dreadful disease from being commu- 

 nicated to their inhabitants, had proved ineffectual. 

 What is extraordinary, they do not seem to regard it 

 much; and as we saw few signs of its destroying effects, 

 probably the climate, and the way of living of these 

 people, greatly abate its virulence. There are two 

 other diseases frequent amongst them ; one of which 

 is an indolent firm swelling, which affects the legs 

 and arms, and increases them to an extraordinary 

 size in their whole length. The other is a tumour 

 of the same sort in 'the testicles, which sometimes 

 exceed the size of the two fists. But, in other 



* See Vol. IV. p. 19., where Captain Cook gives a particular 

 account of meeting with a person afflicted with this disease, at 

 Annamooka, on his landing there in 1773. 



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