414 
TIBET. 
not any medicine that operated as a vomit, till I gave the Rajah some 
ipecacuanha, who made the first experiment with it on himself. 
In bleeding, they have a great opinion of drawing the blood, from a 
particular part. For head-achs, they bleed in the neck ; for pains in the 
arm and shoulder, in the cephalic vein; and of the breast, or side, in 
the median; and if in the belly, they bleed in the basilic vein. They 
think pains of the lower extremity, are best removed by bleeding in 
the ankle. They have a great prejudice against bleeding in cold 
weather; nor is any urgency, or violent symptom, thought a suffi¬ 
cient reason for doing it at that time. 
They have their lucky and unlucky days lor operating, or taking 
any medicine; but I have known them get the better of this prejudice. 
Cupping is much practised by them*, a horn, about the size of a 
cupping glass, is applied to the part, and by a small aperture at the 
other end, they extract the air with their mouth. The part is after¬ 
wards scarified with a lancet. This is often done on the back; and 
in pain and swelling of the knee, it is held as a sovereign remedy. I 
have often admired their dexterity in operating with bad instruments, 
Mr. Hamilton gave them some lancets, and they have since endea¬ 
voured, with some success, to make them of that form. They were 
very thankful for the few I could spare them. In fevers, they use the 
Kuthullega nut, well known in Bengal, as an efficacious medicine. 
They endeavour to cure the dropsy by external applications, and 
giving a compounded medicine, made up of above thirty different 
ingredients: they seldom or never succeed in effecting a cure of this 
disease. I explained to the Rajah the operation of tapping, and shewed 
