POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
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coolly replied^ that they were only straightening the 
man’s back^ which had been broken in with carrying 
stones. The vertebrae appeared to be replaced | they 
bound a long girdle repeatedly round his body, led him 
home, and, without any other treatment, he was in a 
short time able to resume his employment. 
The operation of trepanning they sometimes attempted, 
and say they have practised with success. It is reported 
that there are persons living in the island of Borabora 
on whom it has been performed, or at least an operation 
very much resembling it: the bones of the skull having 
been fractured in battle, they have cleared away the skin 
and coverings, and, having removed the fractured piece 
of bone, have carefully fitted in a piece of cocoa-nut shell, 
and replaced the covering and skin; on the healing of 
which, the man has recovered. I never saw any indi¬ 
vidual who had undergone this operation, but, from the 
concurrent testimony of the people, I have no doubt 
they have performed it. 
It is also related, although I confess I can scarcely 
believe it, that on some occasions, when the brain has 
been injured as well as the bone, they have opened the 
skull, taken out the injured portion of the brain, and, 
having a pig ready, have killed it, taken out the pig's 
brains, put them in the man’s head, and covered them up. 
They persist in stating that this has been done; but add, 
that the persons always became furious with madness, 
and died. They had no idea of phlebotomy as a remedy 
for disease, but were clever at lancing an abscess, which 
was generally effected with the thorn from a kind of 
bramble, or a shark’s tooth. 
However great the influence of those persons who 
administered medicine, or practised surgery, might 
