7 04 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Small-pox occurs in epidemics, and is very fatal. It is rare 
to find persons pitted, for very few survive an attack. The 
disease travels from east to west, and according to native tradition 
it first made its appearance after the arrival of a caravan from 
Unyanyembe. Persons attacked by it are to a certain extent 
isolated ; they are placed in a small hut in which a large fire is 
burning ; no meat is given them, and the pustules are opened by a 
thorn, the body being often smeared by butter or oil. This 
disease has caused so much ravage in the country, that at last the 
people have connected it with a deity supposed to reside at the top 
of Mount Gambaragara, and in times of epidemic offerings are made 
in the hope of staying the scourge. 
Toothache does not occur, at least I never heard of a case ; but 
sciatica and lumbago are fairly common. Treatment for these 
disorders is the application of a red-hot iron, which is usually 
attended by good results. Cholera has visited Uganda on several 
occasions, but diarrhoea and dysentery are not very common. A 
good number of the people suffer from bronchitis, and rheumatism 
very frequently attacks them. 
With regard to malarial fever, those natives who are fairly 
stationary in one district suffer comparatively little, and from but 
slight attacks of ague, but after removing to a new district much 
severer attacks are experienced. It is frequently observed that after 
war, a number of men are struck down by severe malarial fever. 
The Waganda have several medicines for treating this disease ; all 
cause profuse perspiration. It was impossible for me to ascertain 
the nature of these drugs, as the medicine-men regarded me with 
jealous eyes, and absolutely refused to satisfy my curiosity. On 
several occasions, when the king told them to show me the various 
drugs they used, they tried to mislead me by producing valueless 
specimens. 
Ophthalmia is not very common, although cases do at times occur. 
Blindness is very rare ; I only heard of one blind man. 
Neither are skin diseases very common ; I saw a few cases of 
eczema, and no doubt leprosy at times occurs; the people much 
dread it, and recognise its hereditary character. It is very common 
to see people covered by boils. Local applications of chewed roots 
are made for them. 
