4 % - R' E M A" R E S o n t h e
AH-T S -
ANB
SC IEN C E S
paddling their feanoes,.: when-they go a fifliing,:. contribute greatly
to their filubrious habit o f -body. However, as the h eat-of a-,
vertical fun might; caufb too violent; and too general a relaxation!
o f the folids, they prevent this by frequently bathing.'in fea—
water, after which, they commonly perform an ablution in- freflv
water.. Th e y generally bathe every evening and morning,,, or at"
either, time, according.as they.iiave ufed: themielves to. it. But. am
an infenfible and ftreng- pertpiration generally , weakens our bodies-
very much in-hot- climates,. and . by carrying off too many liquids,
renders them mow obnoxious to putrid-difeafes, the .natives of: thefe.-
ifles would be equally , fubjedt "to this inconvenience, i f they had
not.a cuflom, .which -really feems to be intended to obviate the too .
copious peripiration,,forat certain thnes: they .anoint their hair and-:
Read,and the .whole body, with the oil,. extrafted from., coco-nuts,
and made, odoriferous by-adding the. wood,. the fruit, the flowers,
and the leaves o f feveral fcented plants. * Upon the whole, their,
qhearful. temper, .the abfenc-cof cares, .theirBmplicity o f manners,
with the.above enumerated, caufes, co-operate ftrongly to prevent
the attacks o f many varied difeafes; .and as the greater and, more
fenfible part o f thefe. nations; adhere to an,exemplary fobriety in
every,
* Francois Pyrajfd.Voj'age) b, i, p, ia6,‘ fay.s the fame of. the people in the Malcdhte
ISands,.
H U M A M S P ;E C I E s. 4851
.■ every refpedf, -this .evidently contributes much -to- keep them in a r t s
health, and in. the enjoyment o f real happineft. ; . ■ . sciences
Wefotmd.in the-iftes but .few people vfho .were■ disfigured or
:maimed, or had any bodily dmperfedtians.: however they, wet's by
mo means- entirely'free from. them. Tor i faw fornO that f fqumted-,
■ .others that had a film over oae eve, and-: feveral blind o f on® .eye.
In the-ifle of Tanna J .ohfoved many-who had a .kind o f weaknefs
dn the eye-lids, ..fo .that -they could not -lift- them -Up beyond: a
-limited extent, bait were .obliged.to raife the head in order to fee
-things that were .upon a.level with their eye. -jj have reafou to
-believe that it is .not merely an accidental ailment j for-I fawa maa
and his .little Ton o f about five or fix .years, both labouring
■ ;uader-the .feme-imperfedtiort, -fo th a t i f might perhaps be .owing
-to lire manner o f living in that family, or be caufed by-the infa-
.lubrious foot their hut flood on, or,perhaps .it is peculiar to this,
..and .fame- other families, and is preipagaled, * I obferyed a few
ihnmp-backed, and- alfb here and. there a. crooked perfen, fame had.
q 2 .: -diftorted
->. '* There are inftances "that dumbnefs and deafiiefs-have been propagated from jpareats upon
• children; likewifeblindiiefs-has-beeh-entailed upon -children,; and people who have either
-four or .fix'fingers on their hands, have procreated children with the fame imperfefiion ;
in the fame manner it U pofiible, that this defect might -be propagated-; though ,1 am rather
'induced, to. fitppoTc that this pmalyfis-of die eye-lids was caufed by the marfiiy fituation -of
the huts in which the families lived,, and. from the content-.finoak with which, their-Inns are
, filled
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