STUDY VI. 333 



produces an infinite number of difeafes in moft 

 animals which refpire it's emanations *. The fer- 

 mentation of any fubftance whatever could have 



formed 



* Of all corruptions, that of the human flefli is mofl noxious. 

 Of this a very fingular inftance is related by Garcillafo de la 

 Fegay in his Hiftory of the Civil Wars of the Spaniards, in 

 the Indies. Vol. i. Part ii. Chap. xlii. He obferves, firfl, 

 that the Indians, of the Iflands of Barlovento, poifon their 

 arrows, by plunging the points of them into dead bodies; 

 and then adds, " I fliall i-elate what I myfelf faw happen in 

 " the cafe of one of the quarters of the dead body of Carvajal, 

 *' which was expo fed on the great road to Collafuyu, to the 

 *' fouth of Cufco. We fet out a walking one Sunday, ten or 

 *' twelve fchool-fellows of us, all mongrels, that is, the pro- 

 *' geny of Spanifli men by Indian women, the oldeft not above 

 *' twelve years of age. Having obferved, as we went along in 

 " the open country, one of the quarters of Carvajal's body, we 

 *' took a fancy to go and look at it, and having come up, we 

 " found it was one of his thighs, the fat of which had dropped 

 " to the ground. The flefli was greenifh, and entirely corrupted. 

 *' While we were examining this mournful fpeélacle, a forward 

 " boy chanced to fay, I could wager no one here dares to touch 

 " it ; another replied, he would. At laft the ftouteft of all, 

 ♦' whofe name was Bartholomew Monedero, imagining he was 

 " going to perform an a<?l of courage, plunged the thumb 

 " of his right hand into this putrid limb, which it eafily pene- 

 " trated. This bold aélion alloniflied every one, to fuch a de- 

 *' gree, that we all run away from him, for fear of infedion, 

 " calling out, ' O abominable ! Carvajal will make you pay 

 " dear for this raflincfs. He went, however, inftantly to the 

 " brook, which was clofe by the fpot, waflied his hand feveral 

 " times, rubbing it over with clay, and fo returned home. Next 

 " day he returned to fchool, where he fliewed us his thumb, 



" which 



