254 
HEALTHINESS. 
tion used to preserve health at home, may calculate on a greater 
amount of it in New Zealand. 
But it is not the consideration of the natural healthiness of 
the islands, so much as the degree in which they will be 
influenced by European colonization. It is well known, 
that when the West Indies and America were first dis¬ 
covered, they were remarkably healthy, and free from disease ; 
but after being colonized, they rapidly deteriorated. This has 
been and is still the case in Australia and Polynesia. The 
European intercourse is not of unmixed benefit; if we impart 
good, we also bestow evil. In the old countries, every disease 
is naturalized, and although not developed, yet the seeds re¬ 
main in the system, and thus we unconsciously communicate 
it to the natives of the lands we occupy; in fact, we intro¬ 
duce sickness by the very vapour which imperceptibly emanates 
from our bodies. In some degree this may be occasioned by the 
different mode of living ; by the food and raiment we introduce. 
In their natural state, they were so simple in both, that there 
was little place for disease; and if man escaped the accidents 
of life, war, &c., he died as a matter of course from extreme 
old age. The animal machine lasted until its various parts 
were fairly worn out. I have noticed this especially with the 
teeth, having seen those who have attained extreme old age 
with all their teeth perfectly sound and firm, but worn down 
to the very gums. I have no doubt the same was formerly the 
case with our forefathers. When curate of a very ancient 
church in the Isle of Ely, I recollect that whenever an un¬ 
usually deep grave was dug, the teeth of the skulls thrown up 
were thus worn down. This will not be the case long in New 
Zealand ; the natives are now subject to decayed teeth almost 
as much as Europeans, and they lose them the same. On the 
subject of teeth, it is remarkable, that those of children born 
in these colonies are invariably bad, both in Australia and 
New Zealand, and they very early lose them. 
Ectropium, the turning inside out of the eyelid, is very 
common, and was more so in former days : smoky houses are 
probably the chief cause of this complaint. Insanity is far 
from being uncommon amongst the natives. The poor sufferers 
