'52 THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 



only from their books, under the denomination of bun, 

 and the sample which I showed them in 1832, in the 

 Durbar, was the first they had ever seen ; but when the 

 English arrived it became generally known. Neither had 

 they any notion of our cantharides ; for which they sub- 

 stitute meloe telini, a fly of greater efficacy, containing 

 more cantharidine than cantharides. They are seldom 

 employed by the native physicians for blistering, although 

 they know the utility of them in cases of hydrophobia. 



Besides what had been mentioned on the effects of 



blistering^in the description of my own disease, the following 



•may likewise serve as a proof how beneficial that process 



' is when properly employed, and it may, in some cases, evea 



save a patient's life. 



General C , had brought on a disease, by an exter- 

 nal misapplication of mercury, while he was with the court 

 at Umritsir. It was in the warm season, and on the fourth 

 day after the application, he became so indisposed that my 

 services were called into requisition. The native physicians 

 had previously administered different remedies, but without 

 success. On examination, I found that the stomach and 

 intestines were affected, which disturbed the functions of 

 digestion, and caused a violent purging, with a burning of the 

 anus ; I commenced by bleeding him, and applying leeches ; 

 after which, the diarrhoea having been suppressed, an inter- 

 mittent fever, exhibiting itself at various periods, of from 

 three to seven days, was the consequence. Observing no 

 improvement in the health of my patient, I conceived that 

 the heat of the climate exercised an injurious influence over 

 him, and that no hopes of his recovery could be entertained 

 unless he were removed. I therefore solicited permission 

 for him to remove to a cooler locality> upon which we were 

 sent to Deenanuggur, in the proximity of the mountains,, 

 to which place the Maharajah intended to retire with the 

 court. 



The disease having lasted three months, and the patient 

 becoming weaker, he began to complain of a burning at 

 the region of the heart ; 1 tried to apply soms leecbesj bit 



