SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 131 



this application is afterwards used as food. The berry of 

 the prickly ash is used by them as a warming medicine 

 for inward complaints. They have no vesicatories but fire 

 and hot water, which are applied for sore joints and rheu- 

 matism. Phlebotomy is performed with a small knife or 

 with a thin lamina of flint attached to a stick in the man- 

 ner of a fleam, and stuck in the flesh in the same way. 

 For a pain in the head they bleed in the bend of the 

 arm, or above it ; for one in the side below the bend ; 

 and if the pain be in the back they bleed on the right or 

 left ankle according as it inclines to the right or left 

 side. Bleeding is never resorted to in fevers. 



Calculous symptoms are accurately described, but the dis- 

 ease and its causes are unknown to them. The process of 

 parturition is generally easy, the woman being on her 

 knees ; it is sometimes assisted by bending the body over 

 a cord, the ends of which are attached to the top of the 

 cabin ; the funis is regularly tied and cut. The operation of 

 turning is unknown ; no manual assistance is resorted to, 

 even in cases of wrong presentation ; and many instances 

 have occurred in which the foetus became putrid before it 

 was expelled. They have professed midwives, who are 

 paid for their attendance ; these are principally old women. 

 Men are never allowed to assist at the delivery of a woman. 

 A general opinion has prevailed that all Indian women 

 bathed in cold water immediately after parturition. This 

 is however extremely incorrect ; the practice exists among 

 the Sioux or Dacotas, and among many other nations, but 

 we very much question whether any nation of Algonquin 

 origin practises it. The Potawatomi women are very care- 

 ful not to expose themselves to cold after child-birth, and 

 do not bathe for ten days unless the weather be very warm. 

 The placenta not being always expelled naturally, they 



