AND LOWER EGYPT. 57 



would pass here for a blockhead ; ht would evea 

 find himself very much embarrassed. In truth, 

 what could he say to a patient who would only pre- 

 sent him his pulse to feci, who would not reply to 

 any one of his questions, and who would refuse to 

 point out what part of his body he felt out of or- 

 der ? If the skilful physician should appear to hesi- 

 tate upon the mere beating of the artery, respect- 

 ing the nature of a disease; if he should allow him- 

 self to interrogate the sick man ; if he attempted 

 to enter into fine and long reasonings, sometimes 

 as obscure to him who listened, as to him who ut- 

 ters them, there is no room to doubt he would be 

 rejected as a man destitute of knowledge, unwor- 

 thy of confidence, or of the name of a phvsician. 

 What would become of him, if, stedfast in the prill-- 

 ciples and in the practice of his art, he were to 

 prescribe some of those remedies so much prized 

 in Europe, and which are not taken by the mouth > 

 He would be attacked in the most violent manner, 

 and he might esteem himself happy, if, in his en- 

 deavours to escape, he came off with his life. The 

 Egyptians, as well as the Turks, hold remedies of 

 this sort in abomination, and a proposal to make 

 use of them is, in their eyes, an insult of the most 

 serious kind. I never can forget the adventure 

 which befell a French surgeon belonging to a ves- 

 sel which anchored in one of the ports of Cara- 

 mania. The Turkish Aga, commander in that 



place. 



