The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-12-10
. BELoOchfE fRAIfs:
, ,AEENTUREs IN BELoocHIsTAN.

~.AEENTUREs IN BELo0CHIsTAN.
In pc last number of Black,cood there is an
inters ting article on Beloocbistan, by one who
has .,velled much in Central Asia, from which
we el ract the following:
BELooCHEE DOCTOR
ToIhe practice of medicine in Belocchistan
there are only two slight drawbacks. When
the Physician gives dose, he is expected to par
take s similar one himself, as guarantee of
bis god faith i; should the patient die under his
hand, the relatives, though by no means hound to
exerxse 1t In all circumstances, have the right
OF pp ting him to death, unless O special agree.
ment has been made, freeing him from all re-
s2on' Utility as to the consequences while he,
shouIs they decide on immoIating him, has no
reasc 1able ground for complaint, but is expect
ed to submit to his fate like man and a hakim.
la otaer respects, the amateur will find an easy
held.e No diploma or special qualifications are
sequ Jed OF him his ignorance will remain I'M
dete.ted the ailments are few aud simple the
ehaF;es TOR recovery are great, for the healing
powcs of nature is very strong.
TIE two drawbacks l have mentioned. and
to which no European need subject himself,
may'nppear to be very cruel conditions of med.
zeal ractice, but, III reality, they belong to the
civil tstion (such as it isl of Beloochistan, and
foru protection against worse evils. Like
the lood-feud which exists in that country as
WELL as IN all the Arab-peopled deserts, these
conclnons are intended to provide for the pres
ervF jon of life, and undoubtedly have that eff
fect For, unfortunately, the ordinary Eastern
hakt ps are not men of irreproachabe character
Mob ,mmed Bug, for instance who was born in
Uppvr India, and, in the course of his vagabond
life, pas travelled from Pegu to Bagdad, is an
uns, .upulous scoundrel, who dares not show
his zee in two thirds of the places where he has
beet AS a last desperate resource, when hotly
purh led by deserted wives, defrauded creditors,
and seIstives of patients to whom he has ad-
Minis tered poisonous drugs, he takes refuge in
BelQechistan, and proceeds to pay his way by
killieg and curing. When he falls into the
hanss OF Balooch Khan, the crafty old chief
deeas it an excellent opportunity for gratifying
a Cherished desire. Long has Balooch Khan
gn& bed his teeth at the growing power and in
hueNce of his formidable neighbor, Mihrab
Khep so, taking Mohammed Bux aside, he
hrs. threatened that worthy with instant death
as &c meet reward of his deeds, but, then soft
emf down a little, hints that not death, but
large reward, might be bestowed on Mohammed
Bu4I would he only administer such a potion
to Sihrab Khan as might prove the sherbet of
mo-..ality to that chief or, still better, might
stet away his mind, leaving his body like an
emAy vessel, without honor. Balooch Khan
haEug sworn, by Peer Kisri, or else with the
Koran on his head, to give the reward, NOLAN.
med Bpx proceeds to Mihrab Khan, and, very
Likely, the first thing he does is to inform that
CHIEF of the whole plot; wherein Mihrab pre-.
tenSs to be very i'll, and desircus, before he
die, of seeing Balooch Khan. If Balooch Khan
talk, into this trap, he goes, secretly exulting,
to .ond9le with his neighbor; but no sooner is
be seated, and before any guarantee is passed,
thsh audden end is put to his existence, by
boa similar to that which was bestowed on the
vatant Fairshon by the Chief of the clan
McTavish. But possibly Mohammed Bux may
deem Is best to keep faith with the first chief,
ans 1t Is with the view of preventing him, and
meg like him, from administering poison, that
he; compelled to take dose for dose. Even
th-S is regarded as an insufficient protection,
foFthe ,hakim may have antidotes. AS fur
thlr safeguard, it is necessary to hold over him
th,, punishment of death In the event of matters
goying suspicously wrong.
Jn all southern Beloochistan, however, the
European who proffers medicine is regarded
without suspicion. And there is nothing 30 ex-
tr,-ordinary that it may rot be expected of the
traveller and physician.
At one small town, a man was brought to ne
ws5o had no arms, but only three fingered hands,
nt larger than a child's projecting out of the
otserwse smooth sides of the body. This H.
81 nature was really very singular develop
m snt, and ought to be procured for a surgical
Museum; but he was brought, not as curios-
its, but in order that l might give him medi.
cine to make his arms grow. Imprudently, l
az acknowledged that this case was quite beyond
N abilities; and this, instead of procuring me
a. y credit for honesty and candor, only caused
d appointment, and excited the painful suspi-
G. On that possibilities which were demanded. In
firt, ehloroform, galvanism, and little jug
g ery,, are the only means by which a great
n edical reputation could be procured and sus-
timed. A galvanic shock might be set down
a. the expulsion of a very powerful devil cut of
t,re System and the vital principle might be
Supposed, when the patient was in @ comatose
q ate, to have visited the abodes Of the blessed,
aid obtained a new lease of earthly life.
NOT AFRAID TO SMELL BLOOD
:. With the wounds of the Belooches / would
lave nothing to do; for, exposed as they are
{, hsrdships and constant accidents, the sim
lest treatment suffces. In cases of muta
ron, they plunge the stump into boiling oil, and
fafer far less than Europeans would do from
rpis hideous practice. l never saw this actu
slly done, but in two cases came upon Brahuis
tho had just undergone the operation. The
!rst of these was among the mountains to the
orthwest of Las, among the passes of which
was lost, and was seeking in vain to find a
gay to the plain below, where my tent was
atched. About midnight, while wandering
bout unable to sleep, from the cold, / got sight
IF some camp fires, and, advancing to them,
narrowly escaped being untimely slain by the
Harmed Brahuis. Luckily, however, they were
ware OF an amicabe stranger being in their
'eighborhood, and, after the first alarm received
ne kindly, increasing the fires, giving milk
md all sitting up to talk and smoke. One of
hese men showed me his hand, from which
Samel had torn two fingers little after dark
hat night, and which he had soothed with boil
ng oil, in order to stop the bleeding, and pre-
| fent modification. A thin cloth adhered to it,
md over this was tied piece of lambs skin.
~rhe hand was frightful ruin, but he took the
natter very quietly, smoking, talking, and
aughing with the rest, as if nothing particular
lad happened. The Brshuis, it must be re-
nembered, are of Tartar race, and of all men
/ he Tarters are the most insensible to pain, and
Consequently the most frequent and ingenious
"a the use of torture. Terrible is the fate Of
I he highly-nervous and sensitive European who,
IS foe, falls into their hands, to be slowly
rlayed alive, like General Bekevitch, or, as q
lave, to be tortured during years. This insen-
ability or Indifference to pain was not confined
o the men with whom l met. One ferocious
DID woman, two of whose fingers had grown to.
sether from some cause or other, wished me to
ut them asunder; and on my declining TO
.ratify her desire, insisted upon its being done,
and at last tauntingly asked if was afraid to
smell blood. Neither she nor her friends, how
ever, would themselves venture on the opera
ion, having, like all savages, great dread of
unknown results; they wished some one to IN
dertake the responsibility of it.