BACCHUS THE HEALER. 



181 



spirits, liquorice, and logwood — in fact, what is 

 regimentally called 6 strong military ditto ; ' yet 

 I have seen wonders worked hy the much-de- 

 based mixture. Again, Europeans are told to 

 use purgatives, especially after sudden and strong 

 exercise, when the 6 bile is stirred up.' As an 

 amateur chronothermalist — thanks to my kind 

 old master, the late Dr Dickson — I should sug- 

 gest tonics and bitters, which often bring relief 

 when the nauseous salts and senna aggravate the 

 evil. Also, in all debilitating countries, when the 

 blood is c thin,' laxatives must be mild, otherwise 

 they cause instead of curing fever; in fact, 

 double tonics and half purgatives should be the 

 rule. Above all things convalescents should be 

 aided by change of air, if only from the house of 

 sickness to that of a neighbour, or to a ship in 

 port. The most long-lived of white races are 

 the citizens of the United States : they are 

 superior to others in mental (or cerebral) energy ; 

 they are men of spare, compact fibre, and of 

 regular habits ; they also rarely reside more than 

 two or three years at a time on the island. On 

 the other hand, the small French colony has lost 

 in 15 years 26 men : they lived imprudently, 

 they drank sour Bordeaux, and when attacked 

 with fever they killed themselves by the abuse of 



