148 S.AIALL-POX. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Appearance among the natives of a disease resembling the 

 small-pox — Origin and progress of that malady among the 

 aborigines — Medical investigations — Plan of treatment — 

 Variety of forms assmned by the disease — Its duration — 

 The critical period — Dr. Mair's report. 



About two years previous an eruptive febrile dis- 

 ease made its appearance among the natives of 

 Wellington Valley, resembling* the small-pox in 

 its principal characters. Some alarm was ex- 

 perienced in consequence among the Europeans, 

 to whose children the disease had as yet been 

 fortunately unknowui. About a year after I was 

 informed it prevailed among the aborigines at 

 the Lachlan, Burragorang, and Cox's river, 

 and I remarked that several of the blacks 

 at Goulburn Plains, and also at other parts 

 of the colony, had pits on their faces, resem- 

 bling those produced by small-pox, and which, 

 they informed me, were caused by the dis- 



