DISSERTATION ON THE YAWS. 401 



ihe Negroes in Jamaica. But I am chiefly indebted to a va- 

 luable friend, who for many years practised medicine in that 

 Island with happy success, and who has kindly comiflunicat- 

 cd his remarks to me made on this disorder. 



Definition. — The late celebrated Dr Culeen, in his ex- 

 cellent work, Synopsis Nosologic Methodical, confesses he 

 never had an opportunity of seeing the yaws. His definition 

 of it is of course taken from Sauvages, Sag ah, and the 

 Medical Essays. 



" Fungi, mori, vel rubi ida?i fructus referentes, in variis 

 cutis partibus enati. r ' 



Dr Cullen places Frambcesia in Class iii. Cachexia?, and 

 order iii. Impetigines, next to Lepra. Whereas it ought to 

 have been arranged under Exanthemata, next to Variola, 

 because, like the small-pox, it has its accession, height and de- 

 cline ; like the small-pox it is taken by inoculation, and, when 

 a person once passes safely through the yaws, he cannot again 

 be infected by any means whatsoever. This fact is so well 

 established, that a Negro is valued one-third part more by 

 his having formerly had the yaws. 



History of the Yaws. — It was formerly mentioned that this 

 disorder was originally brought from the Coast of Guinea to 

 the West Indies, where it is so very prevalent, that few Ne- 

 groes escape it one time or other in their lives, especially in 

 childhood or youth. The reason of this is obvious : Negresses 

 may have the yaws themselves, or others of their family may 

 have it, and persons living under the same roof are more liable 

 to catch the distemper than others ; as will be hereafter shewn. 



It often happens, that the owner does not know of a 

 Neo-ro being infected, till the eruption of the yaws takes 

 place ; at other times one may foretel that this disorder 

 will happen, by examining the patient carefully for sores 

 or scratches, which, "from their surface, may easily be de- 



c c 



