thë elboW, preffihg fometimës hard with one finger, and then
light with another, as if he was running Over the keys o f à
hârpficord. This performance continued about ten minutes in
fblemn filence, after which he let go my hand and pronounced
my complaint to have arifen from eating fomething that had
difagreed With the ftomach. I ihall not take upon me to decide
whether this conclufion was drawn from his lkill in the
pùlfe,, Or from a conjecture o f the nature o f the complaint
from thé medicines that had been demanded, and which met
With his èntire approbation, or from a knowledge o f the fad .
Le Compté, who had lefe reafon to be cautious, from his
having left the country, than other miffionaries Who are doomed
to remain there for life, pofitively fays, that the phyficians a lways
endeavour to make themfelves fecretly acquainted with
the: cafe o f the patient, before they pronounce Upon it, as their
reputation depends more on their aligning the true caule o f thé
difotder than on thè cute. Hé tlièn proceeds to tèli a llory o f
a friend o f his who, being troubled with a fwelling, fent for a
Chinefe phyfician. This gentleman told him very gravely,
that it was occafioned by a fmall worm which, uhlefs extracted
by his lkill, would ultimately produce gangrene atid certain
death. Accordingly One day after the tumour, by the application
o f a few poultices, was getting better, the d o to r contrived
to drop upon the removed poultice a little maggot, for the detraction
o f which he afiuitted to himfèlf no finali degree o f
iherit. Le Compte’s ftories, however, are not always to be
depended on.
T h e priefts are a,lfp a kind o f doctors, and make plaifters for
a variety o f purpofes,, fome to draw; out the difeafe to the part
applied, fome as charms againft. the evil ipiri.t, and others
which they pretend to. he aphrodifiac ; all o f which,, and
the laft in particular, are in great demand among the wealthy.
In this refpedt the Chinefe agree with moll nations o f antiquity,
whofe priefts were generally employed as phyficians.
T h e number o f quacks and venders o f noftrums is immenfe in
■every city who gain a livelihood by the credulity o f the
multitude. One o f this defcription exhibited in the public
ftreets o f Canton a powder for fele as a ipecific for the bite o f
a fnake; and to convince the crowd o f its immediate efficacy,
he carried with him a fpecies o f this reptile, whofe bite was
known to be extremely venemous. He applied the mouth o f
the animal to the tip o f his tongue, which began to fwell fo
very rapidly, that in a few minutes the mouth was no- longer
able to contain it. The intumefcence continued» till it feemed
to burft, and exhibited a ihocking fight o f foam and blood*
during which the quack appeared. in.. extreme agonies, and excited
the commiferation o f all the bye-ftanders. In the height
o f the paroxyftn he applied a little o f his powder to the nofe
and, the inflamed, member, aftgr which, it, gradq^lly fubftded,
qnd the difprder difappe^md. Tbppgh the, probability. in the
pity o f apy, one perfon, beipg. bit, with a fnake. was not lefs
perhaps than a hundred.thoufand tp ope, yet evqry perfon pre-
fent bought o f the miraculous po.wder, tiJJ. a fly fellow mali-
cioufly fuggefted that thp whole o f this fpene, plight probably
have been performed by means o f a bladder concealedjn the
mouth.
! y y 2 But