﻿THE ELEPHANTIASIS. I57 



a corruption of blood ; which he might have inherited, 

 or acquired by other means. Those, whose religion 

 permits them to eat beef, are often exposed to the 

 danger of heating their blood intensely through the 

 knavery of the butchers in the Bazar, who fatten 

 their calves with Balazver ; and those who are so 

 ill-advised as to take provocatives (a folly extremely 

 common in India') at first are insensible of the mis- 

 chief, but, as soon as the increased moisture is dis- 

 persed, find their whole mass of blood inflamed and, 

 as it were, adust; whence arises the disorder of 

 which we now are treating. The Persia?!, or vene- 

 real fire, generally ends in this malady ; as one Devi 

 Prasad, lately in the service of Mr. Vansittart^ and 

 some others, have convinced me by an unreserved 

 account of their several cases. 



It may be here worth while to report a remarkable 

 case, which was related to me by a man who had been 

 afflicted with the juzam near four years ; before which 

 time he had been disordered with the Persian fire, and, 

 having closed an ulcer by the means of a strong heal- 

 ing plaister, was attacked by a violent pain in his joints. 

 On this. he applied to a Cabiraja, or Hindu physician, 

 who gave him some pills, with a positive assurance, 

 that the use of them would remove his pain in a few- 

 days ; and in a few days it was, in fact, wholly re- 

 moved ; but, a very short time after, the symptoms of 

 the juzam appeared, which continually encreased to 

 such a degree, that his fingers and toes were on the 

 point of dropping off. It was afterwards discovered, 

 that the pills which he had taken were made of cin- 

 nabar, a common preparation of the Hindus; the 

 heat of which had first stirred the humours ; which, 

 on stopping the external discharge, had fallen on the 

 joints, and then had occasioned a quantity of adust 

 bile to mix itself with the blood aad infect the whole 

 mass. 



