PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 129 



deemed the risk of infection to be too small to ren- 

 der that operation necessary. 



In rainy weather, and after the occasional visits of 

 vessels, the islanders are more affected with plethora 

 and boils than at other periods ; to the former the 

 whole population appear to be inclined, but they are 

 usually relieved from its effects by bleeding at the 

 nose ; and, without searching for the real cause, they 

 have imbibed a belief that these diseases are con- 

 tagious, and derived from a communication with 

 their visiters, although there may not be a single case 

 of the kind on board the ship. The result naturally 

 leads to such a conclusion ; but a little reflection 

 ought to have satisfied them, that a deviation from 

 their established habits, an unusual indulgence in 

 animal food, and additional clothing, were of them- 

 selves sufficient to account for the maladies. They 

 are, however, unaccustomed to trace effects to latent 

 causes. Hence they assert, that the Briton left them 

 headaches and flies; a whaler infected with the 

 scurvy (for which several of her crew pursued the 

 old remedy of burying the people up to the necks in 

 the earth) left them a legacy of boils and other sores ; 

 and though we had no diseases on board the Blos- 

 som, they fully expected to be affected by some cu- 

 taneous disorder after our departure ; and even attri- 

 buted some giddiness and headaches that were felt 

 during our stay to infection from the ship's company. 



The women have all learned the art of midwifery : 

 parturition generally takes place during the night- 

 time ; the duration of labour is seldom longer than 

 five hours, and has not yet in any case proved fatal. 

 There is no instance of twins, nor of a single miscar- 

 riage, except from accident. 



VOL. I. k 



