MEDICAL PRACTICE IN DAMARALAND. 527 



sented of the man appearing to gesticulate with his bones. A woman 

 lived at our station whose feet had been barbarously cut off in some 

 war several years before, so that her captors might more easily get off 

 the iron ornament which the Herero women wear on their ankles. 

 Athough the woman had to lie helpless for a long time, her wounds 

 eventually healed up, and now she has been hopping around on her 

 knees for thirty years. 



We soon remarked, however, when the rains fell, a genius epi- 

 demicus coming over the country and demanding offerings. We could 

 also see how those of the natives who lived on the ridges were much 

 less troubled by illness than those whose houses were situated on the 

 moister alluvial ground and in the river-bottoms. Those who have 

 once had fever are more readily exposed to attack than those who 

 have never been ill. My wife, w^ho appeared to have wholly recov- 

 ered from a recent illness, only required a stay of ten minutes in a 

 river-bottom, where I and several other persons received no injury, to 

 be put in bed for months. The influence of malaria is manifested in 

 many persons in other ways than by fever-and-ague. Thus, I never 

 had that disease ; but, when others of the family had fever, I had 

 rheumatic pains in my joints, and I knew of other persons who were 

 similarly affected. Occasionally a severe and almost univei'sal influ- 

 enza would prevail instead of the fever ; and, while few died from it, 

 it was very painful, and sometimes laid entire households low, so that 

 no one was left to attend to the daily duties. 



One of the most prevalent diseases is a running inflammation of 

 the eyes, which few natives escape suffering from one or more times 

 during their lives. Europeans also are usually attacked by it, and it 

 was a great wonder to the natives that I and my family escaped it. 

 We avoided it by the observance of the most scrupulous cleanliness 

 and the use of prophylactics. 



Venereal disorders are quite widely spread, but the Hereros have 

 no name of their own for them, and call them the " Hottentot dis- 

 ease." 



A peculiar skin-disease, called otiyndimha, causes much incon- 

 venience. It is connected with the hot weather, and is characterized 

 by little sores that appear upon different parts of the body, lasting for 

 two or three weeks, to be succeeded by others till the cold weather. 

 They develop pus, in quantity which appears to be very scanty in pro- 

 portion to the pain they cause, and leave no scar. The only disturb- 

 ance they produce in the general system appears to be to make the 

 sufferer very uncomfortable. 



Two cases of snake-bites were brought to me, one of which was 

 without consequences, while the other only resulted in a trifling sore. 

 Yet cattle are frequently killed by snakes. I had several cases of men 

 who had been spit in the eyes by the spitting-snake, or ongoroka. 

 Some persons regard this serpent as a myth ; but I have conversed. 



