Page:Madras Journal of Literature and Science, series 1, volume 6 (1837).djvu/345

1837.] They have their doctors (bulgal) who attempt their cures by charms. On one occasion I witnessed the remedies applied for a sick child: the doctor inhaled the perfume of different plants, and then breathed into the mouth of the child; this was repeated several times; he also sat on the haunches like a monkey, and grinned most hideously at the child, jumping about occasionally, and repeating the grimace; he likewise rubbed his hand over the chest and stomach repeatedly, and snapped his lingers in the air. A native was one day writhing with pain on the ground in the barrack square; the bulgal approached him, and, with a piece of glass, cut from the angle to the symphisis of the chin on the right side. On looking into his mouth afterwards, to ascertain the disease, I saw a hollow tooth in the opposite side.

The diseases which they are chiefly subject to, are dysentry, opthalmia, catarrh and rheumatism, and these occur but seldom. Their poor-diet, want of clothing, and the miserable huts they dwell in, will readily account for their suffering from vicissitudes of the weather which give rise to these diseases. It is only surprising that they are so remarkably healthy.

Previous to entering upon a description of the weather, I shall first suffer a few remarks on the topography of the town of Perth, where these observations were made.

Perth, the seat of government, is situated on the northern bank of the Swan river, eleven miles from Freemantle, on a gentle elevation thirty feet above the level of the river, and about forty above the sea. It is bounded to the south by the Swan river, which is three quarters of a mile broad opposite the town; to the north by a string of fresh water lagoons, which are continuous up to the mountains; to the east by an extensive plain terminating at the Darling range of mountains twenty miles distant; and to the west by mount Eliya, which, running north and south, affords considerable protection from the strong gales coming from the north west and south west. The Swan and Canning rivers unite immediately below the town in a large estuary, called Melville water: this fine expanse of the meeting of the waters much resembles two large lakes running into each other. The sea breeze in reaching the town is further cooled down during the hot weather by crossing these waters. The soil is light, dry and sandy, with the exception of the banks of the river, which is alluvial. The substratum