732 Tour in H. H. the Nizam's Territories. [No. 117. 



would appear to be its head-quarters. The natives universally ascribe it 

 to the use of well-water, whether in drinking or bathing; although 

 their explanation of how this happens is not probably correct, from 

 many observations I have made, both here and in the Bombay presi- 

 dency, I think their opinion is so far well-founded, that when the 

 supply of water is dependent on wells sunk in a decaying rock, whether 

 of granitic or trap, in other words in Mohrum, Dracunculus is almost 

 certain to exist. There is seldom a body of men vs^ho are so similarly 

 situated with respect to diet, exercise, clothing, &c. as European 

 soldiers, yet I have known one-third of a European Regiment, which 

 was indebted solely to wells for its drinking water, laid up with Guinea 

 worm, at the same station with another which used aqueduct water, in 

 which there was not above six or eight cases. The situation, too, of the 

 Telinga cultivators, in the Circars of Khummum and Worungul, is re- 

 markably alike ; yet for one case of Dracunculus at Worungul, there are 

 four at Khummum, the former deriving their chief supply of water 

 from tanks, while the latter depend solely on their wells, which are sunk 

 in a loose rock. The natives allege, that this disease is acquired by 

 the germ entering the body while bathing at the wells, and that the 

 greater latitude afforded by tanks for washing, diminishes the chances 

 of the worm getting access to the body ; but the rare ablution of the 

 European soldiery, who are fully as liable as the natives to this disease, 

 disproves their manner of accounting for the complaint. 



The native hakeems are, for the most part, Brahmins ; their great stand- 

 by in fever is starvation, and were this means of cure used with moder- 

 ation, it might be productive of good ; but it is pushed sometimes to 

 such an extremity as to cause death from sheer inanition. Opi- 

 um is given in Cholera, but from the great nicety required in admi- 

 nistering the drug in this disease, I should fancy they did as much 

 harm as good with it. They have a proverb for the treatment of Guinea 

 worm, " Ek naroo huzar davas^' for one worm there are a hundred re- 

 medies ; which pretty clearly shews that the much-vaunted native prac- 

 tice in this disease is not so successful as some have represented. 



The Surgery is in the hands of the hujjams, whose universal cure 

 would seem to be the actual cautery. I have heard of the operation 

 of cataract being performed, but have not had an opportunity of 

 seeing either the operator or his tools. The hakeems have their books 



