Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/214

 then spewed it out again over his arms and breast. Taking his rattle, he agitated it with great violence, and at the same time continued to strike his breast with his disengaged arm. While this was in progress he remained in a kneeling posture. Rising, he carefully shook the rattle over the prostrate sick man, passing it backwards and forwards, and around and around, all the while sprinkling the body, and muttering, as he did so, strange and unintelligible words. This ceremony being completed, he proceeded to apply his medicines or use his instruments, according to the character of the illness from which the patient was suffering.

In every town there was a sweating-house. When this was to be used by an Indian afflicted with a dropsy, ague, or kindred affection, the physician first placed in it four or five large stones which had been kept in the fire until they were very hot. Physician and patient then shut themselves in, and water was poured over the stones, raising a great cloud of steam. Remaining until perspiration rolled from his body, and the atmosphere had grown to be too stifling to be borne any longer, the patient groped his way out and plunged into the nearest stream, whether it was winter or summer. It was a pathetic fact in the history of the Indians of Virginia that they sought to use this drastic remedy when overtaken by the strange diseases which had been introduced by the English. The deaths of many by small-pox were thus hastened, to the great bewilderment of the survivors.