PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



Absence on leave, granted on the grounds of public 

 policy during the period of the Great War, interrupted 

 any further active work on ** Malay Poisons and Charm 

 Cures ** for five years- The original book, now long 

 out of print, was found useful for medico-legal reference 

 in the Lower Courts of Law, and has been revised. By 

 additions and readjustments the production of a larger 

 and more complete edition has resulted, but as the 

 exigencies of the Service have not allowed me to 

 return to the Federated Malay States » from where I 

 was seconded for duty in Kelantan in 1909, my notes are 

 almost entirely confined to this State, and a better title 

 might have been ** Kelantan Poisons and Charm Cures." 



The pioneer work contained in the first edition was 

 generously recognised by the Government of the 

 Federated Malay States, and I am indebted to Dr. 

 E, 0. Winstedt, D.Litt, (Oxon,), now Principal, Baffles' 

 College, Smgapore, for a bonus awarded in 1915 by 

 the Committee for Malay Studies, which defrayed the 

 initial cost of pubUcation. A similar grant has been 

 promised for the pubUcation of this edition. On my 

 return to Kelantan in 1919 the late Sultan Sir 

 Maliomed IV., K.C.M.G., with kindly friendship 

 deputed Dato Megat Lela d'Raja, Secretary to the 

 • Kelantan Ecclesiastical Council {Majlis Ugama Islam) , 

 as well as two of the '* medicine-men " to the Royal 

 Household, to help in preparing a second edition of 

 " Malay Poisons and Charm Cures." 



Dato Megat Lela d'Kaja, a Malay of good birth, has 

 a competent knowledge of the EngHsh language, and 

 has been helpful more especially in translating some 

 of the passages relative to the Black Art. The two 



medicine-men " proved to be ilUterate, self-made 

 Kelantan men who had no knowledge of English. To' 



