94 March 1749. 



head into it, or poured it over their body id 

 great abundance, in order to cool the heat of 

 the fever. In the fame manner they carry 

 their children, when they have the fmall- 

 pox, into the water and duck them *. But 

 brandy has killed moft of the Indians. This 

 liquor was likewife entirely unknown to 

 them, before the 'Europeans came hither ; 

 but after they had tafted it, they could ne- 

 ver get enough of it. A man can hardly 

 have a greater defire of a thing, than the 

 Indians have of brandy. I have heard them 

 fay, that to die by drinking brandy, was a 



defirable 



* Profeffor Kalm wrote this, when the truly laudable 

 method of treating the fmall-pox with a cold regimen, 

 %vas not yet adopted ; and he thought therefore, the way 

 in which the Americans treated this difeafe, was the caufe 

 of its being fo deleterious. But when the Khalmucks, in the 

 Rujfixn dominions, get the fmall-pox, it has been* obferved, 

 that very few efcape. Of this I believe no other reafon 

 can be alledged, than that the fmall-pox is always danger- 

 ous, either when the open pores of the human fkin are too 

 numerous, which is caufed by opening them in a warm 

 water bath ; or when they are too much clofed, which is 

 the cafe with all the nations, that are dirty and greafy. 

 All the American Indians rub their body with oils, tht&M/- 

 mucks never warn themfelves, and rub their bodies and their 

 fur coats wich greafe ; the Hottentots are 1 believe known 

 to be patterns of filthinefs, their bodies being richly 

 anointed with their ornamental greafy fheep guts ; this 

 ihuts up all the pores; hinders perfpiration entirely, and 

 makes the fmall-pox always lethal among thefe nations 5 

 to which we may yet add the too frequent ufe of fpirituous 

 inflammatory liquors, fmce their acquaintance with ths 

 Ettrcfans* F, 



