" BROKEN " 



more than she could endure, used just the same 

 expression when she said " My life is broken." This 

 is the idea upon which the native doctors work : 

 something is broken, and must be mended. 



In every village there are several of these 

 " doctors," men and women who by some means or 

 other have gained a reputation for unusual skill in 

 dealing with sickness. Of medicines they have very 

 few. They stew the twigs of the rosemary, and 

 make a sort of tea : this is their panacea, and as it 

 causes sweating perhaps it has its value. The brain 

 of the codfish is another of their native medicines ; 

 and they have a great fondness for giving the raw 

 liver of the seal to sick people. Many a time have I 

 found them munching the little red cubes into which 

 they like it chopped. 



I found this little habit out because I used to 

 wonder why seal's liver was so difficult to get from the 

 people. It was the only part of the fishy-flavoured 

 ! seal that we could eat with any degree of enjoyment, 

 and during the winter it was often the only form of 

 fresh meat-food that we could obtain ; but in spite of 

 the good price that we offered only a very few livers 

 came our way. 



Juliana, our first Eskimo hospital nurse, explained 

 the mystery in a few words : " Tingo (liver) very 

 good for sick people." 



The fact is that the people set great store by it as 

 a health-giving food, and there are generally feeble 

 and ailing ones wanting all the liver they can get : 

 also, by the way, it is a great tit-bit, so that we con- 

 sidered ourselves rather fortunate to get any at all. 



The native "doctor" sets very little store by his 

 medicines ; there is " mending " to be done, and 



289 T 



