80 THE INDIANS OF CAPE FLATTERY. 



seen school-boys sit down of an evening by the fire and amuse themselves in this 

 manner, holding out their hands with the burning pitch singing into the flesh, and 

 showing their bravery by the amount of pain they could bear. I usually found, 

 however, that they were very willing for me to dress their hands with salve when 

 ever they had attempted this performance. Blood-letting is not practised according 

 to our methods, but in case of bruises when there is swelling and much pain, they 

 scarify the skin by cutting longitudinal and transverse gashes just deep enough 

 to make the blood flow by keeping the part moistened with water. Cauterizing 

 the flesh is, however, the favorite and most generally practised remedy for all internal 

 complaints, and answers with the Inxlian the double purpose of blisters and bleeding. 

 There are many cases of deformity arising from strumous disease of hip-joint, 

 white swelling of the knee, and rheumatic affection of feet. These cripples go 

 about with the aid of a stick or pole, which they hold with both hands. I have 

 made crutches for some, but they could never be persuaded to use them. There is 

 one case of enlargement of the scrotum to an enormous size. The patient is a man 

 about forty years of age, who has been troubled with the complaint for about twenty 

 years, the sac gradually enlarging, so that now it reaches four inches below the 

 knee and is of the size of a five gallon keg. He assures me that he suffers no pain 

 from it, but the enormous size is quite inconvenient, and causes him to walk with a 

 very peculiar gait. As his only covering is a blanket, the parts are frequently 

 exposed. The complaint does not appear to be dropsical, but rather an adipose 

 secretion. Doctor Davies, formerly physician and surgeon to the reservation, was 

 desirous of making an examination, but the man was exceedingly opposed to it, 

 and no opportunity has been had of ascertaining its real character. 



The most common complaints are diarrhoea and dysentery, coughs, colds, and 

 consumption. The first two are most frequent, and have been formerly very fatal. 

 I find, however, that taken in their early stages they readily yield to simple treat 

 ment, and a dose of castor oil, followed by Dover s powder from five to ten grains, 

 is quite sufficient in most cases to effect a cure. During my experience among the 

 coast Indians for a period of more than twelve years, I have noticed, as a general 

 rule, that they require less medicine than white men, and invariably when 

 administering any (with the exception of castor oil), I have given but one-half the 

 amount that would be given to one of the latter. There seem to be no general 

 remedies among themselves, each doctor or doctress having his or her own peculiar 

 herbs, roots, or bark which they prepare in secret and administer with ceremony. I 

 have seen a woman pulverize charcoal and mix it with water for her child to drink, 

 who had a diarrhoea. Some make a tea of hemlock bark for an astringent, others 

 scrape that of the wild currant, elder, or wild cherry, and make tea of it. 



The Polypodium falcatumfor, as it is commonly called, the sweet liquorice fern, 

 is a most excellent alterative, and is much used by both white persons and. Indians 

 in the territory, having acquired a reputation in venereal complaints. In the form 

 of a decoction it is an excellent medicine combined with iodide of potassium. 

 There are two varieties found at Cape Flattery ; one growing on the trunks of 

 trees or old mossy logs ; the other on the rocks. The plants are similar in general 

 appearance, except that those growing on rocks have a stout, fleshy leaf. The 



