Madden's Travels in Turkey, Src. 125 



treatment. So satisfied was he with his success at Candia, 

 that on his arrival at Alexandria he proposed to attend plague 

 patients for the season, and undertook to save from seventy to 

 seventy-five per cent, of the sick. The measure, however, was 

 never carried into effect ; and we suspect, had the author tried 

 his plan upon a large scale, he would have been disappointed. 

 We are quite ready to admit that the principle of his treatment 

 is good, but the virulence and depressing influence of the poi- 

 son is such as to bid defiance to all ordinary restoratives. 

 Besides, the plan has been tried and failed. In the Ionian 

 Islands, in 18 1G, the tonic plan was pursued by several prac- 

 titioners, but the patients died, in spite of wine, brandy, and 

 opium. 



At Cairo, Mr. Madden visited the lunatic asylum, and he 

 favours us with some interesting observations on the state of 

 eastern countries with regard to mental alienation. Fanaticism 

 being a great source of insanity in most countries, and religious 

 zeal being very strong in Turkey, one would think, a priori, 

 that insanity should there be very frequent. The reverse, 

 however, is the fact. There is very little madness in Turkey 

 compared with other countries, which the author very reason- 

 ably attempts to account for in this manner. Turkish fana- 

 ticism is founded on certain essential doctrines of faith, which 

 neither admit of doubt or disputation, whereas English fana- 

 ticism wants all this consoling security : " With us, the fanatic 

 wavers with the wind of every doctrine ; and while he works 

 heaven and earth to gain his* neighbour to his sect, his own 

 bosom is distracted with a thousand doubts and scruples. His 

 anxiety for his neighbour's soul undermines liis own intellect 

 at last ; and thus fanaticism paves the road to Bedlam." 



It is fortunate that insanity is rare in Turkey ; forjudging 

 from what the author saw at the lunatic asylum at Cairo, the 

 poor creatures are miserably provided for. The courbash, a 

 whip made of one solid thong of hippopotamus hide, was in 

 constant use. When he inquired about their allowance, he 

 heard, to his horror, that there was none except what charitable 

 people were pleased to afford from day to day. The author, 

 very kindly, sent for some food, which the poor creatures de- 

 voured like hungry tigers. 



" There was one thing I could not help remarking. The ruling 

 passion of the Mahometan character was preserved even in insanity. 

 One man, who begged me to give him bread, spat upon me when 

 he got it ; another, who seized on the piece of water melon, which 

 the women brought him, with all the eagerness of famine, ab- 

 stained from eating it ; hungry as he was, he preferred flinging it 



