430 



" The natives are extremely bigoted to their own remedies, which, 

 without improvement or alteration, are handed down from father 

 to son, through succeeding generations. They therefore seldom 

 apply for the assistance of Europeans until the case appears hope- 

 less from their own prescriptions. They do not bleed, nor perform 

 any surgical operation, unless the removal of a part partially 

 divided. AH cases of fractures and dislocations are consigned to 

 the potters; a caste of people abounding in Hindostan, for mak- 

 ing the water-jars and cooking utensils of red clay, so universally 

 used. The potter places the limb of his patient in what he consi- 

 ders the best situation, and then covers the part affected with 

 moist clay ; this when dry rixes the limb, and under such treat- 

 ment simple and compound fractures often do well: but, as may 

 be expected from this process, distortions and stiff joints are more 

 frequently the consequence. 



" For spasmodic affections the natives of India generally 

 apply the juice of the milk-bush to the parts affected, which acts 

 like a blister. In more serious cases they use the actual cau- 

 tery; from this cause it is common to see horses, oxen, labour- 

 ing men, especially palanquin-bearers, and porters of heavy 

 burthens, marked in many places by a hot iron. Notwith- 

 standing the liberal mind and singular propensity of the Tan- 

 jore sovereign, already mentioned, it cannot be expected that these 

 medical practitioners should in general acquire any accurate know- 

 ledge of anatomy ; and the heat of the climate operates powerfully 

 against their possessing any extensive information from dissection. 

 Much however may be acquired from preparations. 



" Although I have no high opinion of the general mode of 



