THIRTY- I-IVE. YEARS IN THE EAST; IS. 



Iwas called on to jjive my assistance on the commence- 

 ment of an acute inflammation of the eyes to a lady of the 

 first family, called the Sheikh Khoasni (nobility of ancient 

 descent), where I tried the antiphlo^jistic plan in its full 

 extent, namely :- bleeding, blistering, leeches, calomel, 

 emetic tartar ( in minute doses), purgatives {vie, senna, 

 manna, salt, &c. ), Dover's powders, different colly- 

 riums prepared from corrosive sublimate, plumbi acet., 

 laudanum, camphor, rosewater, &c., without any positive 

 result. One morning I found the lady a great deal better 

 which I naturally ascribed to the good effects of my treat- 

 ment. " No," said my patient, " I do not owe my conva- 

 lescence to your remedies, but to the shoemaker Ibrahim; 

 he called on us yesterday evening, and on viewing my sore 

 eyes, he recognized it to be the habbet-ul-kei. He applied 

 immediately the red-hot iron, and since that moment I am 

 a great deal better and have enjoyed also a quiet night." 

 I requested her to send for the zisiad (master) Ibrahim, 

 which she accordingly did, I asked him how he could 

 know that the inflammation of the eyes was caused by the 

 habbet-ul-kei ? He ansv;ered me, that it could be re- 

 cognised by the following circumstances : — 



1. Bleeding and all other treatments remain useless. 



2. The patient has offensive breath, the spittle is tough 



and stringy. 



3. There is a local burning pain, tormenting the patient day 



and night, which (according to his assertion) is the 

 surest symptom of the kei (burning). 



Beside this, Ibrahim understood but little of other diseas- 

 es ; nevertheless, no one should apply to him the Latin 

 proverb, Ne sutor ultra crepidam (Let not the shoemaker go 

 beyond his last). 



The cauterium actuale was applied also to this lady, on 

 the forehead, her hair having been previously cut very short. 

 There is no doubt, that the effect of the red-hot iron is 

 more violent and efficacious than that of a blister, and 

 cannot be replaced by the latter, wherefore the Arabs apply 

 it to men and animals, very often at the present day. 



