394 - M E D I C A. 
Greeks chriften their children immediately after 
their birth, or within a few days at leaft, dipping 
them in warm water, and in this refpeft they are 
much wifer than their brethren the Ruffians, who 
dip them into rivers in the coldeft winter. d he 
Jews circumcife their children on the 8th day, 
which feems to be a difficult and dangerous opera- 
tion at that age. But the Turks are wifer, for they 
defer this great ceremony in their religion, until 
their fons have attained the 8th year of their age. 
A Turk in Egypt had by feveral wives forty 
children, of which none lived. (2.) A Bey, who 
was murdered at Cairo about fifteen years ago, had 
at his death feventy feven women in his Haram, 
all with child. (3.) Children got in Egypt by fo- 
reign parents feldom live, whether they come of 
Franks or Levantines j we therefore fee few Tur- 
kilh child/en, tho’ the militia or army of Egypt 
confifts of Turks who take women Haves from 
Georgia, Circaffia, Ruffia, and other places. The 
reafon of it may in great meafure be attributed to 
the curfed cuftom of deftroying the foetus, as fooO 
as they perceive they have conceived, in order to 
preferve the love of their hufbands, and exclude 
their rivals. (4.) However, a Turk in Cairo h3d 
by eight wives; within ten years, eighty children 
all living, of which I knew feveral. 
18. In Damiata, the Neceffiary-houfe is in the 
Kitchen, which is very Angular. We ffiall fcarce' 
ly find fuch a difgreeable cuftom in any place. ^ 
the other towns, of Egypt, this place is always > 
the dwelling-houfe, but not in the room where t 
vidtuals are drefled. 
CO^' 
