Topographical Remarks regarding Afghanistan. 339 



crimes; and the females are said to possess a considerable 

 share of beauty, but little chastity ; even the females contrive 

 to enjoy a considerable degree of freedom, and like the men 

 frequent the gardens, and form parties to the tombs of saints 

 and places of prayer. At least once a week they visit the 

 Hammaum or vapour baths, which are the great places for 

 gossip and scandal. The nature of their dress, which conceals 

 their form and features is highly favourable for intrigues. 



Of the Diseases. — The information under this head is very 

 vague and uncertain, and only obtained from the casual 

 applicants for advice, often when the medicines of the native 

 Hakeems have failed. 



Fevers prevail in spring and autumn, and I believe that 

 intermittent fevers may be considered as endemic in every 

 valley in Afghanistan, and in the lower valleys assuming 

 the bilious remittent form ; I have also seen cases of severe 

 fever in the common continued form, with high vascular ac- 

 tion. 



Affections of the chest and air-passage are very common, 

 especially during the winter season in the young, in the form 

 of pneumonia and bronchitis with sore throat, and croup 

 amongst the children, and chronic bronchitis amongst the 

 aged. 



Pneumonia is well known and much dreaded by the natives, 

 it is termed sinai-pala; on being seized with it, they imme- 

 diately resort to bleeding ; it is a very fatal complaint. After 

 some little trouble I ascertained that in the winter in the 

 Bala Hissar, containing a population of 5,000 — 100 deaths 

 took place from disease of the chest ; some died on the third 

 day, but most frequently on the 7th. One of the children of a 

 Moolah was seized with croup and recovered; as is the 

 custom with Mahomedans, he said prayers over the dead, and 

 made inquiries from me as to the cause of the deaths. 



Jaundice I have met with occasionally, in this complaint a 

 holy Syud's prayers were said to be very efficacious ; he placed 



