Travels in North America. 267 



Doubt, from their ufing no Salt nor any of thofe Things we ufe, 

 to give a higher Relilh to oar Meats. 



They feldom look upon a Difeafe as merely natural, or 

 , - . , among the common Remedies they ufe, 



L / 7 allow any to have in themfelves the Virtue 

 c^'J of healing. The great Ufe they make of 



^^^■^ their Simples, is for Wounds, Fraélurès, Dif- 



locations. Luxations, and Ruptures. They blame the great In- 

 cifions which our Surgeons make to cleanfe Wounds : They 

 fqueeze oat the Juice of many Plants, and with this Compofition they 

 draw out all theCorruption, and even the Splinters of broken Bones, 

 Stones, Iron, and in general all the foreign Matter that remains 

 in the wounded Part. Thefe fame Juices are all the Food of the 

 Patient, till the Wound is clofed. The Perfon that drefTes the 

 Wound, takes aifo fome of thefe Juices before he fucks it, if 

 he iinds it neceffary to ufe that Method* But there is feldom a 

 NecefFity to do this ; mofl commonly they find it fuiilcient to 

 fyringe the Wound with -thefe Juices. 



All this is according to Rule ; but as thefe People mull 

 have fomething fupernatural in all their Tranfaftio-ns, the Jugg-ler 

 often tears the Wound with his Teeth, and aftérwards ihewing 

 a Bit of Wood, or fome fuch Thing, that he had the Precautibri 

 to put before-hand in his Mouth, he makes the Patient believe that 

 he drew it out of the Wound, and that this was the Charm which 

 caufed all the Danger of his Malady. This is certain, that 

 they have wonderful Secreta and Remedies. A broken Bone is 

 well united, and grows folid in eight Days. A Frtnch SolàitVj 

 who was in Garrifon in a Fort of Acadia, was troubled with the 

 falling Sicknefs ; and his Fits were grown fo frequent, as to at- 

 tack him aimoil: every Day with great Violence. A Woman 

 Savage, who happened to be prefent at one of his Fits, went 

 and made him two BolufTes of a pov/dered Root, the Name of 

 which fne concealed, and defired that he would take one at the 

 End of his next Fit, giving Notice that he would fweat much, 

 and have great Evacuations both upwards and downwards and 

 added, that if the firft Bolus did not carry off all the Gompiaint, 

 the fécond would entirely cure it. The Thing happened as the 

 Woman hadi faid : The Patient had another Fit after the firfl 

 Dofe, but it v/as the lail:. He ' enjoyed afterwards a perfect 

 State of Health. " 



Thefe People have alfo quick and fovcreign Remedies againd ' 

 Di'vers other Palfy, the Dropfy, and the Venereal 



Remedies ^ ^ Difeafe. The Shavings of Guiacum Wood, 

 ^ ' ' and of Saiïafras, are their common Specifics 



in the two lall Difeafes : They make a Drink of thefe Woods, 



M m 2 which 



