THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 39 



bone, about; feven inches below the center of my knee-pan,, 

 an itching refembling what follows the bite of a mufcheto. 

 Upon fcratching, a fmall tumour appeared very like a 

 mufcheto bite. The itching returned in about an hour af- 

 terwards ; and, being more intent upon my reading thnn 

 my leg, I fcratched it till the blood came. I foon after ob- 

 ferved fomething like a black fpot, which had already rifen 

 confiderably above the furface of the fkin. All medicine 

 proved ufelefs ; and the difeafe not being known at Cairo, 

 there was nothing for it but to have recourfe to the only 

 received manner of treating it in this country, About 

 three inches of the worm was winded out upon a piece of 

 raw filk in the firft week, without pain or fever : but it was 

 broken afterwards throueh the careleffnefs and rafhnefs of 



O 



the furgeon when changing a poultice on board the fhip 

 in which I returned to France : a violent inflammation fol- 

 lowed ; the leg fwelled fo as to fcarce leave appearance of 

 knee or ancle ; the fkin, red and diitended, fecmed glazed 

 like a mirror. The wound was now healed, and difcharged 

 nothing ; and there was every appearance of mortification 

 coming on. The great care and attention procured me in 

 the lazaretto at Marfeilles, by a nation always foremoft in 

 the acts of humanity to ftrangers, and the attention and 

 fkill of the furgeon,. recovered me from this troublefome 

 complaint. 



Fifty-two days had clap fed fince it firft begun ; thirty- 

 five of which were fpent in the greateft agony. It fuppura- 

 ted at laft ; and, by enlarging the orifice, a good quantity of 

 matter was difcharged. I had made conftant ufe of baric, 

 both in fomentations and inwardly; but I did not recover 

 the ftrength of my leg entirely till, near a year after, by 



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