1830.] Lave, Law, and Physic in Barbary. 303 



their sale in case they were found efficacious, and that of causing my 

 punishment if his wife had been deprived of her sight under my treat- 

 ment. He had, however, over-reached himself, for by a misapplication 

 of the lotions and the substitution of others of his own compounding, 

 on finding I had no more to give away, he caused the poor man the 

 loss of his eyesight, which but for the release would have cost Sidi H. 

 a like retribution ; as it was, he was condemned to return the money 

 he had received, and compensate the man in an extra sum for the injury 

 he had caused. 



This specimen of ungrateful treatment made me for ever renounce 

 the profession of medicine ; on which subject I believe there is but little 

 more to be observed. Male accoucheurs are unknown in Barbary ; this 

 office is confided to women solely, and, strange to say, the only use 

 known for a chair in this country is, in case of accouchement. 



The greatest enemies of the doctors are the saints, who by spells and 

 incantations have brought medicine into great contempt ; so much so, 

 that the grave of a dead saint is considered more efficacious than the 

 advice of a living physician. The country is over-run with those impos- 

 tors, who take advantage of the superstition of the people to turn their 

 weakness to advantage. They are worshipped whilst living, and when 

 dead, treason itself finds a refuge at their sepulchre. Idiots are in the 

 greatest repute for this profession ; next to them, are those remarkable 

 for any great deformity of person or hideousness of feature ; qualifica- 

 tions totally different from those required to make a saint in Europe. 

 In Barbary they pick the pockets of the credulous by clothing them- 

 selves in tattered weeds, bedabbling their hair with dirt, allowing their 

 nails to grow, and causing their teeth to project outwards. The more 

 they are unlike humanity, the more they are adored. A maniac is idol- 

 ized ; and should all Bedlam be here let loose, the people would imagine 

 themselves the special objects of the favour of Providence. The profes- 

 sion is so lucrative that those who are no fools adopt it ; but, if by accident 

 they are found uttering common sense, they are punished with a propor- 

 tionate number of stripes for the deception. 



A culprit having fled from justice took refuge at the tomb of a saint, 

 to which place no one was allowed to pursue him. A guard, however, 

 surrounded the spot to shoot him if he attempted to escape, and to pre- 

 vent his being supplied with any provisions. During the space of a 

 fortnight (thus it is related) he remained without the slightest nourish- 

 ment. On approaching to see if he was dead he was found in perfect 

 health. When asked if he wanted food ? he replied in the negative, 

 saying, the saint in pity to his innocence had furnished him with vic- 

 tuals from the tomb, and had commanded him to give the emperor a bag 

 of sequins which had been buried in his grave. 



The circumstance was related to the sultan, who on mention of the 

 bag of gold immediately saw the possibility of the miracle. He gave 

 orders for the culprit's release, who from that moment became a saint 

 himself, and is now held in high veneration. To relate one-half the 

 absurdities, of which the above is only an instance, is perhaps 

 unnecessary evidence of what may be readily believed, that on this sub- 

 ject the Moors are the most credulous people in the world. 



A Santo or Marabout is never punished ; crime loses its colour when 

 committed by one of their order : there are instances of violation, where 

 the complainants have been told that, instead of considering themselves 



