InahUny of Natives to resist Disease. 117 



of life, were iiiucli more seriously attacked by fever than the 

 Europeans resident there, in such entirely different conditions 

 of climate than they were accustomed to. On the other 

 hand, so far as regards sanitary measures, tliat portion of the 

 aboriginal population presents the most favourable results 

 which is most intimately allied to the Europeans, and applies 

 in its own case the precepts of modern civilization. 



So soon as the natives are attacked by fever with any 

 severity, they rapidly succumb. However, we have never 

 heard tell of any of that barbarous inhumanity which any 

 medicine-man, whose treatment is unsuccessful, is said to ex- 

 j^erience at the hands of the relatives and friends of the 

 patient, which indeed is all the more improbable as, were 

 such really the case, considering the small advantages and 

 scrimp fees likely to be picked up by a smart medicine-man 

 among such an impoverished race, there would hardly be 

 met with one Manlu^na in the entire group ! The head-mark 

 of a doctor in the southern islands is his unusually long float- 

 ing hair. On our inquiring of a native what qualifications 

 were requisite in order to become a doctor, he replied with 

 the most charming naivete : '' One must be the son of a 

 doctor ! " From this reply we may gather that in the Nico- 

 bar Islands medical skill and knowledge of the healing art 

 are confined to certain families ! We afterwards found this 

 information confirmed, upon our discovering that the youth- 

 ful Manlu^na of Great Nicobar, who so severely kneaded 

 and twisted the arm of one of the associates of the Expedi- 



