Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-06-02
PHYsIC In MANY LANDS.
TERRIBLE REMEDIES USED BY
THE HEATHEN.
Doctors Who Risk Their Lives to Relieve
the Pains OF Barbarians - The
Fatal Treatment of Mea-
sizes in India.

In one OF the central provinces OF
India not long ago measles broke out
among the natives shortly alter the
arrival OF two women missionaries
from America Children were soon
dying in such mum bers that the mis-
sionaries wished they had learned
something about medicine before they
came. They knew. however that
children with measles should be kept
warm and not allowed to run any risk
of catching cold. The mortality
caused by so simple a disease, as they
had known it astounded them ana
they made inquiries as to how the lit
tie patients were treated. 1t was in
the rainy season and they found that
these poor people thought the best
way to cure measles was to strip the
babies perfectly naked aud hold them
out in the cold rain till the water
should wash all the measles eruption
off the skin. No wonder they died.
a fatal chill struck the frail, tevered
little body and the mother could only
moan and beat herself in despair
In Siam. when one falls sick, the
Doctors diagnosis OF the disease is
serious matter. He generally comes
with his mind fully made up that the
patient is possessed of an evil spirit
TO find Just where this evil spirit lies
is the diagnosis The doctor takes
tigers tooth from his pouch. The tooth
is a long canine one sharpened to nee
die point This he jabs into the sick
man in various spots II the sick
man yells with pain more loudly when
he is punctured here than he does
when he is punctured there. then the
evil one turks here. Preparations are
made to drive him out. but generally
the patients spirit deserts the tortured
body before the imaginary one.
In Africa young missionary, who
went out from this city some time
ago, says the New York Tribune, pen
etrated far into the interior where no
white man had ever been seen before.
The tribe had curious tradition that
some day white man would come to
them and do wonderful things for
them. So they built hut the best
kind they knew how to construct to
have it ready for the pale-iace when
he should arrive. When this ardent
young American suddenly appeared
one day they welcomed him with open
arms. 10 say that he was surprised
is putting it mildly. The same day
two women came to him, each with
child in her arms. and besought him
to cure them. He looked at the ba-
bies and found they were dead. He
told them he could do nothing for
dead babes. and thereby at once fell
off considerably in their estimation.
He asked what had been done for the
children. and was told that their
bodies had been scored with sharp
stones to let the evil spirit out. He
counted on one little body 400 cuts
and then there were more. These
mothers love their children passion
ately. Fancy what pain they under
went while intlicting agony on their
babies in the vain hope OF doing them
good.
How terrible is the condition of suf-
fering women in India the following
extract will show. 1t is IRON d letter
written by Miss Emma j. Cummings.
NJ D.. medical missionary in that
country. She says:
Il shall never forget q wish
could) one experience that l had. l
was called up at midnight to see a
woman in the last stages OF fever
found her tossing and muttering in a
delirium that ran into a stupor and
then death l did what l could to
make her comfortable bathing the
hot skin and moistening the parched
lips, etc. but it was too late. No
sooner did her friends learn that
death was near than neighbors began
to swarm in. until the miserable hut
had twenty or thirty in it, all vieing
with each other in grooming. Shrek
ing. shifting the chests and scream
ing.
sin vain showed them that the noise
was torture to her poor brain and
that her head began to roll from side
10 side again. could not keep them
even from throwing themselves full
weight upon he rpoor chest laborins
harder and harder to give her breath.
and when wanted to give her few
drops OF medicine but failed because
the jaws were already set turned
cold and ia mt to see her own mother
strike her to compel her to swallow.
l saw that could do no good and as
the strain was too severe to be born g
unnecessarily l left her two hours be-
fore she died but the scene haunted
me for months.
..ln some parts of India it is be-
lieved that a woman dying from GER
tain complaint descends into the under
world to be slave to monster. whose
torrents she is driven in vain to re-
lieve and that she loses her chance
of reaching woman's paradise, i e..
tenanting the body OF man. after
passing through some millions of ami
mails Do you wonder that many COM
NIT suicide to end such miserable
lives? May God, in his mercy excite
your pity for them. AS you read these
things and shudder, they suffer them
and perish.
/ Some idea IF the manner in which