European aiid Asiatic Turkey. 127 



The following account of the effects of opium is extremely 

 interesting : — 



" In the month of May 1830, 1 attended Abduraman Pascha, 

 on his journey from Koniah to Kiitaja. We bivouacked one 

 night near a little village called Karako, and, as usual, I slept 

 without covering my head as the Turlis do, when they spend 

 the night in the open air. Next morning my dragoman awoke 

 me, just in time to depart with the rest ; but I was unable, be- 

 ing affected with a violent pain in the head, and feeling myself 

 stupid and giddy like a drunken man. I heard the voices of 

 those around me, but did not understand a syllable of what 

 they said ; I could not speak, and again fell asleep. In a few 

 minutes I was astonished by a violent shock and dashing of 

 cold water on my head ; this aroused me, and I found that my 

 companions had hastened to bring up one of the camels, and 

 had emptied one of the skins upon my head, thus promptly and 

 ingeniously finding a substitute for a shower bath. In fact I 

 had been in a state of narcotism, induced by the neighbourhood 

 of an opium field, in which the poppies were in full blow. In 

 the course of an hour, I was enabled to pursue my journey. 

 The occurrence shewed me, that they were long aware of the 

 utility of the cold dash in Turkey, a practice only lately recom- 

 mended in Germany, on the authority of the English physicians 

 Copland and Wray, in cases of poisoning by narcotics. On an- 

 other occasion I slept near Brussa in an open field to leeward of 

 a large caravan of camels, laden with opium, and again I awoke 

 in the morning with nearly the same symptoms."" 



Insanity and Suicide in Turkey. — Dr Oppenheim's observa- 

 tions upon the causes which render insanity and mental derange- 

 ment extremely rare in Turkey, are very interesting, and well 

 worthy of being studied by those who devote themselves to medical 

 statistics. Here it is sufficient to remark, that their habitual 

 suppression of the feelings of extravagant joy or sorrow, the 

 fatalism inculcated by their creed, the contempt with which they 

 regard all scientific or practical improvements, their total igno- 

 rance of passion-stirring literature, the absence of all scepticism 

 with regard to the truth of the Koran, and the want of the 

 sentimental feelings of love ; all these circumstances combined, 

 cause each individual to look upon the wants of life with com- 



