372 The Natural Historic 



I will in the next place give some account of their Physick 

 and Surgery. These Doctors or Conjurors are those (as I 

 said before) that visit and attend the sick, who use many 

 charms of Witchcraft, and to gain a greater esteem and 

 credit amongst these People, they tell them that all their 

 Destempers are the effects of the had or evil Spirit^, who has 

 struck them with this or that malady. Therefore none of 

 these Doctors undertake any distemper, but that he first 

 comes to an Exorcism to effect the Cure, and acquaints the 

 sick parties Friends or Relations, that he must converse with 

 the good Spirit, to know whether the Patient will recover 

 or not ; if so, then he will drive out the had Spirit, and then 

 the sick Person will recover and become well. 



When an Indian is sick, if they think there is much dan- 

 ger of Life, and that he is a great Man, or hath good Friends, 

 their method or behaviour in curing is as follows. The 

 Doctor is immediately sent for, and as soon as he comes into 

 their Cabin, the sick Person is placed on a Mat or Skin 

 stark naked, lying on his Back all uncover'd, except some 

 small trifle that covers their nakedness when ripe, otherwise 

 in Children, or young People there is nothing about them. 

 In this manner the Patient lies when the Conjurer or Doctor 

 appears, and generally the King of that l^ation comes to 

 attend him with a Rattle made of a Gourd with Pease or 

 Indian-Corn in it, which the King delivers into the Doctors 

 Hands, whilst another brings a Bowl of Water and sets it 

 down. 



Things being thus prepared, the Doctor then begins and 

 utters some few Words softly; afterwards he smells to the 

 Patients Navel, and sometimes Scarifies him a little with 

 a Flint, or an Instrument made of Rattle-Snake's Teeth for 

 that purpose, then he Sucks the part, and gets out a Mouth- 

 ful 



