1769 



DISEASES 



167 





Among people whose diet is so simple and plain dis- 

 tempers cannot be expected to be as frequent as among us 

 Europeans ; we observed but few, and those chiefly cutane- 

 ous, as erysipelas and scaly eruptions on the skin. This 

 last was almost, if not quite, advanced to leprosy ; the 

 people who were in that state were secluded from society, 

 living by themselves each in a small house built in some 

 unfrequented place, where they were daily supplied with 

 provisions. Whether these had any hope of relief, or were 

 doomed in this manner to languish out a life of solitude, we 

 did not learn. Some, but very few, had ulcers on different 

 parts of their bodies, most of which looked very virulent ; 

 the people who were afflicted with them did not, however, 

 seem much to regard them, leaving them entirely without 

 any application, even to keep off the flies. Acute distempers 

 no doubt they have, but while we stayed upon the island 

 they were very uncommon ; possibly in the rainy season 

 they are more frequent. Among the numerous acquaintances 

 I had upon the island only one was taken ill during our 

 stay. I visited her and found her, as is their custom, left 

 by everybody but her three children, who sat by her ; her 



