414 SANITARY CONDITIONS 



a shocking condition of degeneracy. For all practical purposes, then, it would 

 seem, as the rules for the breeding of lower animals cannot be enforced 

 among human beings, that close intermarrying should be rigorously avoided. 

 As a factor in producing abnormalities, one must not neglect poor living 

 and hygiene which are common at Abaco, but the factors of syphilis and 

 alcoholism seem to be eliminated from this instance, for a case of alcoholism 

 is rare, and of the large number of individuals I examined, T did not detect a 

 single case of syphilis. 



Recommendations Regarding Hopetown. 



The question arises as to what can be done to relieve the condition of these 

 unfortunate people at Hopetown. At once the idea of bringing in new blood 

 suggests itself. Owing, however, to the fact that leprosy is present in the settle- 

 ment, the carrying out of this suggestion might be productive of evil to the 

 new blood introduced, especially as we are ignorant of the manner in which 

 leprosy is transmitted. On the other hand, there is no reason to believe that the 

 people, if left to themselves, will do in the future otherwise than they have 

 done in the past. Future generations will sink to even a lower state of 

 degeneracy than at present. To leave a community to gradually exterminate 

 itself by intermarrying would seem to be worse than running the risk of pro- 

 ducing an occasional leper. It might be well, therefore, for the people of the 

 Bahama Islands — First, to empower the proper authorities to remove and 

 isolate from the settlement all lepers and all whom they have reason to suspect 

 may in the future develop leprosy ; second, to remove all idiots and degenerates 

 to an asylum; and third, after this has been accomplished, to introduce new 

 blood among the inhabitants. 



TREATMENT. 



Before giving a brief summary of the methods employed by the medical 

 staff in treating the various diseases cited above, it will be interesting to 

 describe some of the remedies used by the poorer natives in the outer islands. 



One of the plants, which 'is boiled and the decoction used for the dressing 

 of wounds,, is called " cat-tongue " by the natives. Another plant, the white- 

 bush, belonging to the croton family, was used in kidney troubles, and another, 

 called "snake-root," not identified, used in malaria. We also found on 

 these Islands specimens of the " jumby" bean. This bean, when eaten by 



