334 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
and use his influence to induce his people to 
attend. 
Maaro was attended by two or three natives, 
who were called kahuna rapaau mai , the name 
given to those who undertake to cure diseases, 
from kahuna , a priest, or one expert in his pro¬ 
fession, rapaau , to heal, or to apply medicine, and 
mai, disease. Although among the Sandwich 
Islanders there are none who exclusively devote 
themselves to this employment, there are many 
who pretend to great skill in the discovery and 
cure of diseases. They are usually, as their name 
imports, priests or sorcerers, and seldom admi¬ 
nister medicine unaccompanied by some super¬ 
stitious ceremony. The knowledge of the art is 
frequently communicated from father to son, and 
thus continued in one family. In their practice 
they have different departments, and those who 
are successful in removing internal complaints are 
most esteemed. Febrile disorders are not so pre¬ 
valent as in many tropical climates, but asthmatic 
and pulmonary affections are frequent, and the 
latter generally baffle all their skill. We are not 
aware that they admit into their materia medica 
any but vegetable substances, which are variously 
prepared; sometimes baked, or heated in a cocoa- 
nut shell, but often applied after being simply 
bruised with a stone. In the selection and em¬ 
ployment of these, they certainly manifest an ac¬ 
quaintance with the medicinal properties of a 
number of indigenous herbs and roots, which is 
commendable, and may hereafter be turned to a 
good account. Several of their applications, 
simply as they are prepared,, are, however, very 
powerful, and sometimes fatal, in their effects. 
They had till lately no means of employing a 
