THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 21 



Skid: ''/I povero Bellmondo,^ ndV altro mondor Here also 

 I had an opportunity of observing the course of the plague, 

 I did not, however, remain long in this place, but returned 

 to Syria. Unfortunately, the vessel I embarked in was 

 an old Danish one, leaky in every corner, so that the crew 

 were obliged to pump day and night. After my return 

 from Alexandria, 1 fixed my abode on the eastern side 

 of the Lebanon, and began to practise in a little town named 

 Sahli, beautifully situated in the proximity of the valley of 

 Balbeck, where the famous ruins of the temple of the sua 

 (Heliopolis), notwithstanding the attacks of time, rise from 

 the ground like rocks, and are admired by travellers, as one 

 of the most remarkable monuments of antiquity. As I 

 was living in the neighbourhood, I accompanied the two 

 Prussian naturalists, Drs. Hemprich and Ehrenberg, at 

 that time on their way towards Balbeck. The latter is 

 the celebrated naturalist at present in Berlin. From 

 Sahli I went to Damascus ( which I had formerly passed 

 through), in order to pursue there the practice of ray 

 profession. At that period there was living in the Capuchin 

 convent, a monk, named Padre Tomaso, who used to 

 perform vaccination ; and besides that, professed the 

 medical art. But the following amusing story may serve ai 

 an illustratfon of the system he adopted. A goldsmith of 

 middle age, a Catholic, came to me one day, asking for 

 an Aphrodisiacum ; he confessed he had impaired his 

 bodily strength by improper indulgences, to such a degree 

 that he could not perform his conjugal duty ; and he 

 added, that he was in a very distressing situation, for 

 his nuptials were to be celebrated on the following Sun- 

 day. I expressed my willingness to comply with his 

 wishes, but finding probably the price of my medicine 

 too high, he left me, and repaired to Padre Tomaso, 

 hoping to get his medicine gratis. On Monday, after the 

 wedding, at the break of day, Father Tomaso entered my 

 room quite embarrassed, and asked me for my advice, as 

 the goldsmith was constipated, and in great pain, in con- 

 sequence of the large doses of Cantharidei which he had 



