Ignorance of Therapeutic qitalUles of Indigenous Plants. 1 13 



like the women and children, it should seem that these natives 

 never attain a very extended duration of life. 



Of the therapeutic powers of various plants that are found 

 in their forests, the natives have but little knowledge. All 

 that they have ever had of drugs have been almost entirel}'' 

 su})plied from Europe by captains of English vessels. Al- 

 though they attach tlic most extravagant importance to the 

 possession of these, these medicines are, if anything, more pre- 

 judicial than beneficial to them, as they of course understand 

 nothing of their use, and often apply them in the most absurd 

 manner. It seems that once some ship captain in order to get 

 quit of their importunities made over to them all the articles 

 he could most conveniently spare, such as castor-oil, Epsom- 

 salts, spirit of camphor, turpentine, peppermint, eau de 

 Cologne, &c. &c., and ever since they pester each visitor 

 for medicine ! A native once urgently begged us to give 

 him a little spirit of turpentine ; on our asking him to what 

 purpose he wished to apply it, he answered that he wanted 

 to rub himself with it, and take a few drops internally, be- 

 cause he believed it was an excellent preservative against 

 ague and pain in the chest ! 



The maladies with which th.e natives are most commonly 



afflicted, are intermittent fever, phthisis, and rheumatism. 



In some cases we remarked Elephantiasis Arahica (the Juzam of 



Arab writers), called by the Nicobarians Kelloidg, attacking 



the bones, and several diiferent forms of cuticular eruption. 



The severity of these diseases must be ascribed less to the 



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