OF THE NATIONAL DISEASE. 267 



have suffered, is sometimes most ludicrous ; our in- 

 clination to laugh, such is man's nature, not at all 

 diminishing with increased evidences of the patient 

 submitting to the barbarous, but still, I have no 

 doubt, excellent remedy. 



Syphilis has been represented to be the curse of 

 the land ; and certainly, from King to beggar, 

 according to their own account, they either have 

 it, or are about to have it. Priests and their wives 

 are not exempt, nor do even children of the ten- 

 derest age escape. The reputation of this disease 

 is as general among the Shoans, as scrofula is in 

 England, and it is admitted and spoken of in the 

 same manner without any reluctance or shame. 

 This disease is supposed by the natives to originate 

 from several causes ; among others, that of eating 

 the flesh of fowls which have become diseased, by 

 living in the neighbourhood of some one more 

 than usually afflicted, and great care accordingly 

 is taken, when purchasing fowls in the market, to 

 learn from whence they came. The prevalent 

 opinion also is, that it is communicable by the 

 simplest contact, and those who are suffering from 

 it are, therefore, carefully avoided, except by their 

 own relations, and for years after they are quite 

 cured, a reluctance to eat or drink with them, 

 except with certain precautions, may be observed 

 among those of their acquaintance who are aware 

 of their previous condition. From these and many 

 other observances against contagion, it may be 



