PINHAM. 



69 



very small quantity being sufficient even for an 

 adult. The fruit incloses three seeds, and is 

 about the size of the common hazel-nut. During 

 the third attack of ague which I had whilst 

 I was at Jaguaribe, I placed myself under the 

 direction of an old mulatto woman, than whom 

 I never saw any one more like a witch ; and 

 indeed poor old Antonia had the reputation of 

 being somewhat of a mandingueira. However, 

 she gave me a dose of pinham, which, I think, 

 consisted of four seeds, but they were picked 

 out from a heap of others for their superior 

 size. The dose acted most violently, and effect- 

 ually produced vomiting, and although excessive 

 weakness followed, the disorder was removed. 

 1 begged her to give me a quantity equal to 

 what she had administered, that I might take it 

 to Recife ; this I shewed to a practitioner, who 

 answered that he should have imagined that 

 such a dose would have killed any one ; but the 

 old reputed sorceress knew full well, that a 

 dangerous disease requires to be severely at- 

 tacked.* After the ague left me, my nurse 



* The indefatigable and all-observant, although unfeeling 

 and brutal Labat, has also mentioned the pinham, under the 

 name of medicinier ou pignons cFInde, and he gives a print 

 of it. His account of the plant is elaborate, and he speaks 

 of three kinds. Of that of which I have treated, he says, 

 " Sajleur ria rien de beau. Elle ne vient jamais seule, main 

 en bouquets composez dc plusieurs jleurons d'un blanc sale 

 tirant sttr le verd. ChaqueJIeuron est compose dc cinq feuilles 



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