MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



427 



to observe how they would act,) a 

 fowl was killed with much form, 

 and skinned, and a composition of 

 flour and eggs, with some warm 

 ingredients about the consistence 

 of dough, was put round the 

 fractured part, (which had the 

 efifect of retaining it in its posi- 

 tion,) and the whole enclosed in 

 the skin of the fowl. As this fowl 

 appeared to have been sacrificed, 

 its skin being applied to enclose 

 the whole was most probably 

 meant to act as a charm. 



The manual part finished, the 

 physician proceeded to examine 

 the general state of health, and 

 the pulse appeared to be his chief, 

 and indeed only guide, in this re- 

 spect. The arm was laid bare to 

 the shoulder, and he applied his 

 fingers with great attention, and 

 with as much solemnity as ever 

 issued from Warwick-lane, to the 

 coiuse of the artery, and at all 

 parts of the arm where he could 

 feel it beat, to ascertain whether 

 it was every where alike ; and, 

 lest there should be any mistake 

 in this point, the other arm un- 

 derwent the same investigation 5 

 the whole party looking all the 

 while extremely grave. Having 

 now decided as to the medicines 

 necessary on this occasion, his 

 little chest was brought forward, 

 with his pharmacopoeia, and a 

 sort of clinical guide, directing the 

 quantity and quality of the dose. 



His chest was extremely neat, 

 its exterior japanned black, and a 

 number of partitions in it, again 

 subdivided, so as to contain about 

 a hundred and eighty different 

 articles (quite enough in all con- 

 science, even among the greatest 

 hypochondriacs and drug-swal- 

 lowers) 5 but they were fortu- 



nately all simples, being a collec- 

 tion of wood-shavings, roots, seeds, 

 and dried flowers of his own 

 country. There appeared also 

 some ginseng, a product of Tar- 

 tary and Corea, much in vogue in 

 these parts. Small portions of 

 the specified articles were mea- 

 sured out with a silver spatula, 

 and put up in little parcels, and 

 directions were now issued as to 

 the mode of boiling and drinking 

 the decoction. Next day they 

 were highly delighted to hear the 

 good effect of their medicines, 

 though they had never been taken 

 (as many a poor doctor is cheated 

 by cunning patients) ; and a new 

 application was brought for the 

 finger, termed a fish poultice, 

 so composed as to look, and in- 

 deed to smell, something like 

 currant-jelly. 



Having carried on this scheme 

 for a few days, they were tlien 

 informed that the finger was so 

 much better as to i-ender their at- 

 tendance unnecessary any longer ■ 

 and, as a reward for their sei'vices, 

 they were presented with some 

 little articles, and among others, 

 as an addition to the chest, some 

 spirits of hartshorn, displaying to 

 them its effect on the olfactory 

 organs, with which they were 

 quite astonished and pleased ; 

 some spirits of lavender and oil of 

 mint, they also considered a great 

 acquisition. The physician, more 

 especially, seemed to be a very 

 respectable man, and was treated 

 as such by those about him. Their 

 practice seems to be a good deal 

 derived from the Chinese, for 

 their notion of the circulation of 

 the blood, or rather their having 

 no correct notion about it, is the 

 same. Neither have they any idea 



of 



