638 NGARRABUL AND OTHER ABORIGINAL TRIBKS, 



fully qualitied to practise, he must needs comport himself with 

 circumspection, else trouble awaited him. If his erstwhile 

 instructors considered him unwarrantably zealous in prosecuting 

 the work of his profession, they reported the matter to the tribal 

 chief {Doorttngd ov yyumbaivnh), who, if he found the accusation 

 sustained, ordered the culprit to be summarily put to death. 

 Such drastic measures were deemed necessary, for the doctor 

 would, when opportunity favoured, subject a patient, against 

 whom he harboured resentment, to a course of treatment unneces- 

 sarily rigorous. In the Yukumbul tribe, to guard against the 

 possibility of such secret enmity being visited upon the sick man 

 {Dfhikkae^) by any doctor {Xoonwae-hah), he (the patient) might 

 insist upon several medical men being called in consultation upon 

 his case. In Bundel the dusky physician was known as Xgull- 

 loo-hiiyal —a, layman or ordinar}^ tribesman being BiyynL 



Before the advent of the white settler, the natives informed 

 me, there was but little sickness or disease of any kind. Tumours 

 or neoplasms were rare or unknown. The w^ork of the doctors 

 was mainly surgical, and consisted of the treatment of wounds — 

 the result of accident or sustained in warfare. Sorcer}^ and witch- 

 craft occupied a prominent place in their dealings with the sick. 

 As narrated to me by the natives, their practices were, in the 

 main, similar to those recorded by many other observers through- 

 out Australia — blowing, manipulating and sucking being, as 

 elsewhere, conspicuous features. In the presence of the doctor, 

 the patient lay down and was subjected to a ])h3^sical examination 

 that the seat of disease might be ascertained. After feeling his 

 head, body and limbs, the ph3^sician took some bushes and bit off 

 a piece with leaves. Upon these he blew, and over them spread 

 a mysterious powder which he kept in a bag. The leafy twig he 

 then pressed well into the skin over the supposed diseased part, 

 or, calling to his . assistance one or more professional colleagues, 

 they all pressed vigorously upon the potent charm. Thus, they 



* A word of doubtful authenticity. 



