BY R. HAMLYN-HARRIS. 25- 



trouble, and the fact that the mothers say " The teeth grow 

 by themselves," is evidence, I think, that they look iipon 

 teething very much as the growth of the finger nails or hair. 

 The reason for this is to be found, no doubt, in the fact 

 that the Aboriginal babies are nursed by their mothers 

 until the\' have reached the third or fourth year (in somie 

 oases even longer). As a rule the children eat very Utile 

 solid food before they have their teeth, which is between 

 the second and third year. Now note the interesting 

 difference where children are brought up near settlements 

 or statioiLs, or come into contact with whites where they get 

 solid food, such as damper or beef, often only half cooked. 

 These suffer from teething in the same way as white children 

 do, and convulsions are quite common. Half caste children 

 suffer the same as white children*. This seems to be the 

 normal conditions of things, and is more or less confirmed 

 by numerous correspondents. Taken as a whole the 

 Aboriginal has no medicine for teething and this, I think, 

 is confirmatory evidence of the non-existence of teething 

 troubles. It would appear that full-blooded aboriginals 

 do not suffer from teething, nor do the children of three- 

 quarter aboriginal blood. Teething troubles seem to increase 

 from practically nothing in the case of full bloods in direct 

 proportion to the amount of white blood. 



Now there is a theory even amongst the blacks themselv&s^ 

 by which they seek in certain parts of North Queensland 

 to explain the reason why they enjoy practical imm.unity. 

 They say it is due to the treatment they receive while 

 young, and though to us the treatment does not seem of 

 any importance, I mention it here as an interesting case of 

 folk-lore handed down from one generation to another.. 



(a). The fresh-water shrimp (aboriginal name 

 " JUNGi ") is cooked and the hard part given to the 

 child to bite, the parent also making a regular practice 

 of rubbing it on the gums, even to the extent in some 

 cases of drawing blood. 



(6). A grub (aboriginal name ' Jumbon ") found 

 in the decaying timber is cooked, and it then possesses a 

 very tough and elastic skin containing a soft core. This- 



*0n the authority of Rev. N. Hey, Majoon. 



