With regard to the manners and customs of the people of Bengazi,
we saw nothing in which they differed materially from those of
Arabs in general; and it would merely be repeating what has been
often observed by others, were we to give any detailed description
of them. I t is well known what reliance is placed by the Arab on
the efficacy, we may say, the infallibility of charms and family nostrums,
and how much they are averse to calling in medical aid till
they have repeatedly tried their own remedies without success. We
saw a lamentable instance of this adherence to popular prejudice
and superstition, in the case of an interesting girl of Bengazi, the
daughter of one of the Arabs of the town. As Mr. Campbell was
standing at the door of our house, in company with some others of
our party, an old woman hurried towards him, and eagerly seizing both
his hands, conjured him to come and visit her daughter, who she said
was very ill with a swelling in the throat. Mr. Campbell immediately
complied with her request, and accompanied her, together with
one or two of the other officers, to the house where the patient was
lying.- On entering they found the poor girl we have mentioned, extended
upon the floor, in a state of delirium, while her sister, on her
knees by her side, was endeavouring by means of a fan ,to keep away
the myriads of flies from her face, with which the room as usual
abounded. Her throat was soon found to be so much ulcerated ¿and
swelled, as almost to prevent respiration; and it seemed but too
evident that the hand of death was already lying heavily Upon her.
She had been ill for nine days with a typhus fever, and the usual
charms and remedies had been employed by her parents, who only
name to Mr. Campbell for advice when all their own prescriptions
had failed. The violence of the fever had now subsided, leaving the
unhappy girl in a state of exhaustion, and a mortification appeared
-to have taken place. Every means were of course resorted to which
our medicine-chest afforded, and every possible attention was paid
to the comfort of the patient; but all our care was unavailing; the
disease was too far advanced to be subdued by medical skill, and
the poor girl shortly expired, a victim rather to ignorance and superstition,
than to any fatal symptoms in the disease itself, had the proper
remedies been applied in time.
Through a similar infatuation, the son of our worthy landlord,
Shekh Mahommed, who was in other respects a very sensible man,
had nearly fallen a victim to the prejudices of his father. He had,
unknown to us, been for many days dangerously ill of a fever;
during which time his father kept him shut up in a dark, close room,
and almost smothered him with blankets. When we heard of the
circumstance, Mr. Campbell immediately offered his advice and assistance
; but both were civilly declined, the good Shekh observing, at
the same time, that if it were the will of God that his favourite son
should die, no exertions of any one could save him, and he himself
had only to submit, without repining, to the visitation which heaven
had been pleased to bring upon him. We, however, at last succeeded
in prevailing upon him to accept of Mr. Campbell’s mediation, and,
in the course of a few weeks, we are happy to state, the boy completely
recovered. Some other cures which Mr. Campbell was
enabled to make at length gained him a great reputation, and some