CONCERNING LAPLAND. 
291 
Its irritation upon the ball of the eye, they believe fufficient to 
mb off the membrane, and remove the caufe of the complaint. 
Chilblains may be fuppofed no unfrequent diforder with the 
younger part of the Laplanders; and this, as well as fpafms and 
contractions of the limbs, from the feverity of the cold, is relieved 
by an ointment which they extradf from the checfe made of rein¬ 
deer’s milk. They heal and foften flefli wounds with the unpre¬ 
pared gum which exudes from the fir-tree. Before they reduce a 
diflocated or fractured bone, which they do with bandages (am¬ 
putation of limbs being a practice of which they abhor even the 
idea), they fwallow, in a drink, a piece of filver, or even brafs, 
beaten into a powder; and they believe this potion to be of 
great efficacy in forwarding the cure. 
We have already mentioned the adtual cautery made ufe of by 
the Laplanders for pains in the hands and feet. This will bring 
to the recollection of our medical readers the moxa, which has 
formerly been tried as a remedy in fits of the gout. The moxa is 
a dry vegetable fubffance, brought from China and Japan, not un¬ 
like the common plant mugwort: it is applied to the fkin, and 
there fet on fire. What is ufed by the Laplanders for this pur- 
pofe is the boletus foment arms ^ Lin. Similar applications were in 
ufe during the age of Hippocrates, and even employed by the 
prince of phyficians himfelf. 
The finew of the fore legs of the rein-deer is applied as a re¬ 
medy for fprained ancles, or other ffrains of the legs, by binding 
it round the part aggrieved: but a particular reflriCtion is to be 
P p 2 obferved 
