No. 12.— 1860-1.] HEALTH AND DISEASE IN CEYLON, 369 



eat meat but once in the day, and curries I look upon 

 as slow poison to them, unless they are made without 

 most of the usual constituents of a curry. 



I have already said that the diseases of most common 

 occurrence in Ceylon, are, if properly attended to at their 

 commencement, generally very easily cured ; at the same 

 time complaints which in England would be considered 

 trifling, and might be often neglected without ultimate 

 injury, will not bear the same neglect here, and may soon 

 become serious and permanent. Therefore, we should 

 always apply for medical aid at the first intimation of any 

 departure from our ordinary state of health. Avoid quack 

 medicines and popular remedies, such as "Cholera Drops," the 

 virtues or rather vices of these latter, always depending on 

 the presence of laudanum or opium in some form, which, 

 in my opinion is poison in genuine Cholera, and hardly ever 

 necessary, but on the contrary hurtful, in ordinary bowel 

 complaints among Europeans. Any remedy, too, containing 

 opium, is especially objectionable in unprofessional hands, as 

 a medicine for children. A child of nine months old has 

 been killed by four drops of laudanum, and one of four and- 

 a-half years by one-third of a grain of opium ; in another 

 case, a drop and-a-half of laudanum proved fatal to an infant, 

 and yet I have seen printed directions in this country for the 

 cure of Dysentery, recommending indefinite doses of "Dover's 

 powder," which contains opium, without any such warning 

 concerning children as that I have just given. 



I have noticed a rather prevalent habit among our 

 countrymen in the Island, of taking quinine whenever they 

 fancy themselves to be what they call feverish. Now, 

 although this may do no particular harm, yet it can hardly 

 ever be productive of much good, and may interfere 

 with the proper action of the medicine when it is really 

 required. There is only one case, I think, where quinine 

 is likely to be of service when taken without medical advice, 

 and this is when we are obliged to pass a short time in a 



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