388 M E D I C A. , 
they afk the advice of a Phyfician, upon the ver- 
mins tormenting them, and he enquires whether 
they perceived them. They have no medicine in 
Egypt againft worms ; nor do they ever require a 
Phyfician to prefcribe any thing for them. Even 
they who know they harbour them, and are tor- 
mented with all the inconveniences they are wont 
to caufe, require only a remedy for the fymptoms, 
e . g. gripes, head-ach, vomitings, but never fay 
any thing of the caufe, which is generally to be at- 
tributed to worms. They cannot conceive that 
the infignificant Gourd-worms, which they void 
with fo much eafe, can occafion a difeale, and they 
never dream of the true caufe, I mean the Tape- 
worm ; for which reafon they are greatly terrified 
when a Phyfician expels one from them. A Phy- 
fician mull therefore know in what manner to 
prefcribe againft the real caufe, and not attend to 
what the patient fays of his fymptoms. I never was 
acquainted with more than one remedy prefcribed 
for the worms, by thofe who pradtifed phyfic in 
Cairo with judgment and applaufe, but this always 
fucceeded io well, that they had no occafion to 
fearch for another. This is Petroleum given in- 
wardly. Mr. Des Barats, M. D. of the Facility of 
Paris, and Phyfician to the Conful at Cairo, com- 
municated this remedy to me. Both he, and the 
aforefaid Mr. Foumace, have feen a confiderabte 
number in Cairo cured by Petroleum, and the 
worm Mr. Foumace Ihewed me, was expelled by 
it : they give it for three days fucceffively, for 
which purpofe they chufe the three lad days of 
the moon’s lait quarter. When they have given it 
for three days, they try whether they can expel 
any of the worm which they fuppofe to be killed 5 
if this does not fucceed, they wait till the next de- 
creafe 
