NON-CHRISTIAN PEOPLES OF PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



1249 



later, he still believed that he had been in 

 prison for failing to kill the Negrito ! 



Such primitive conditions are, however, 

 rapidly becoming things of the past. The 

 wild man has yielded w4th unanticipated 

 readiness to what he doubtless regards 

 as the peculiar prejudices of his Amer- 

 ican rulers. 



HEAI.ING THE SICK 



The healing of the sick and injured 

 has now begun to play an important part 

 in the civilization of the non-Christian 

 tribes. It is practicable to protect the 

 hills of northern Luzon from invasion 

 by contagious disease originating in the 

 lowlands on account of the ease with 

 which land quarantine can be successfully 

 maintained; and, although cholera has 

 three times sneaked over the boundary 

 line of the Mountain Province, it has in 

 each case been promptly driven back. 



Systematic vaccination is now rapidly 

 decreasing the mortality from smallpox, 

 which has in the past been a dreadful 

 scourge among the hill people. The be- 

 lief that the anitos, or spirits of the dead, 

 cause sickness, wounds, and death has 

 been prevalent among them, and their 

 method of seeking to obtain relief from 

 their ailments has been to sacrifice chick- 

 ens, pigs, or cattle, according to their 

 means ; but they have been quick to grasp 

 the fact that the white man's method is 

 vastly better. 



There Is a well-equipped modern hos- 

 pital at Baguio, in the subprovince of 

 Benguet, and Igorots sometimes travel 

 lOO miles to get to it. There is also a 

 hospital at Bontoc, a well-equipped mod- 

 ern building, which has recently replaced 

 a temporary hospital established some 

 years ago. The clinic at this place is in- 

 creasing by leaps and bounds. 



A horrible disfiguring disease known as 

 "yaws" is quite prevalent among the hill 

 people and causes them much suffering. 

 Dr. Richard P. Strong, director of the 

 Biological Laboratory at Manila, discov- 

 ered the fact that Ehrlich's *'6o6" was an 

 absolute specific for this infirmity. 



Subsequently a man badly afflicted 

 with it was found at Barlig, one of the 

 wildest settlements in Bontoc. He de- 



clined to go to the hospital for treatment 

 and was sent there in charge of an Igorot 

 deputy sheriff. He received the neces- 

 sary injection, but during the first two or 

 three days complained bitterly that no 

 medicine was being put on his sores. 

 Then he suddenly became convinced that 

 the medicine he had received was "very 

 strong." Within a week he was running 

 around town and triumphantly displaying 

 his rapidly healing body to every one who 

 would look. Then he suddenly and un- 

 accountably disappeared, only to reappear 

 a little later, bringing with him for treat- 

 ment every man, woman, and child of 

 Barlig who had yaws ! 



Relievable eye troubles are frightfullv 

 prevalent among the hill people. Indeed, 

 until after the American occupation the 

 law of the survival of the fittest did its 

 work, absolutely unimpeded, throughout 

 this whole region, and every year many 

 thousands of people were permanently 

 incapacitated or died needlessly. 



HOW AN IGOROT DISCOVERED CHRISTMAS 

 PRESENTS 



The pleasant thing about our efforts 

 for the relief of suffering is that they are 

 highly appreciated. Sanitary Inspector 

 Barron nursed the only son of a rich, in- 

 fluential old Benguet Igorot chief named 

 Palasi through a vicious attack of con- 

 fluent smallpox and saved the boy's life. 

 Palasi was anxious to pay him, but the 

 provincial governor refused to permit 

 this, because the inspector was paid by 

 the government for doing just such work. 



Nine months later, just before Christ- 

 mas, Palasi appeared at Bagfuio and called 

 on the governor. He said that he had 

 heard of a strange American custom and 

 wished to learn more about It. He asked 

 If It was true that Americans gave pres- 

 ents to their friends at Christmas time. 

 Being answered In the afiirmatlve, he in- 

 quired further whether it would be right 

 for the Igorots to adopt this good Ameri- 

 can custom. 



Having been told by the unsuspecting 

 governor that It would be highly proper, 

 he stated that he was going to make Mr, 

 Barron a Christmas present of his best 

 horse, which he did! 



