The skill of the medical officers attached to the Embassy had already produced its effect upon a nation so ignorant of the healing art. Woizoro Indanch Yellum, aunt to His Majesty1, arriving from Achun-Kurra on a visit to the court, was made the bearer of compliments on the part of Zenama Work, the Queen-dowager, (i.e. rain of gold) “respecting the pardon of the delinquent2 slave.” But they were accompanied by a request for medicine, and an admonition that the British guests of her son would do well not to squander3 all their drugs amongst those who knew not how to appreciate them. “We have seen wondrous4 things achieved in the time of Sáhela Selássie,” concluded this message from “the golden shower,”—“and the prophecies respecting the red men have indeed fully5 come to pass.”
The fame, too, of the operation performed with such singular success upon the governor of Mentshar had spread far and wide, and applications for surgical6 aid became daily more numerous—the patient, in lieu of tendering a fee, invariably insisting, when cured, upon the receipt of some reward. Priests, renowned7 for the sanctity of their lives, applied8 in the same breath for a white head-dress, and for a remedy against disorders9 superinduced “by eating the flesh of partridges.” Even nuns10 did not disdain11 assistance, and many a hapless victim to Galla barbarity sought a cure for his irreparable misfortunes.
An exceedingly ill-favoured fellow, striding into the tent, exhibited a node upon the forehead, which he desired might be instantly removed. “The knife, the knife,” he exclaimed; “off with it; my face is spoiled, and has become like that of a cow.” A ruffian who, in a domestic brawl12, had contrived13 to break the arm of his wife, entreated14 that it might be “mended;” and a wretched youth, whose leg had been fractured twelve months previously15, was brought in a state of appalling16 emaciation17, with the splinters protruding18 horribly. Amputation19 was proposed as the only resource, but the Master of the Horse was loud in his opposition20. “Take my advice,” he remonstrated21, “and leave this business alone. If the boy dies, all will declare that the ‘proprietor of the medicines’ killed him—and furthermore, should he survive, it will be said the Almighty22 cured him.”
In Shoa, the practice of surgery directs the removal of a carious tooth with the hammer, punch, and pincers of the blacksmith. Should venesection be required, a stick placed in the patient’s mouth is tightened23 by means of a thong24 passed round his neck, and the distended25 veins26 of the forehead are then opened with a razor. Cupping, performed by means of a horn exhausted27 by suction, is also extremely fashionable; and actual cautery, which is believed to strengthen the muscles of the spear arm, is applied by means either of a pile of lighted cotton, or a stick heated by rapid friction28. Fractured bones that have united badly are said to be violently rebroken to admit of their being properly set; and upon the authority of Ayto Habti, the chief physician in ordinary, it may also be stated, that splinters coming away are successfully supplied by portions of the skull29 of a newly-slain sheep or goat!
But amulets30 and enchantments31 are by all classes held far more efficacious than the drugs of the Abyssinian “possessor of remedies,” (Bala medánit, “the master of the medicines,” is the term applied to every physician) which of a truth must be acknowledged to form but a feeble materia medica. Insanity32, epilepsy, delirium33, hysteria, Saint Vitus’s dance, and in fact all obstinate34 disorders for which no specific is known, are invariably ascribed to the influence of demons35 or sorcerers, and the patient is either declared to be possessed36 of a devil, or to labour under the disastrous37 consequences of inumbration by the shadow of an enemy. Shreds38 of blue paper are held to be preservatives40 against headache, and the seeds of certain herbs are worn as charms against hydrophobia and disasters on a journey; but of these, some must be plucked with the left hand, and others with a finger on which there is a silver ring, and all under a fortunate horoscope, or they can avail nothing.
Small-pox frequently devastates41 the land, and a free boy of pure blood is then selected from among the number of the infected, and carefully secluded42 until the pustules are ripe. Many hundred persons assemble, and a layman43, chosen for the rectitude of his life, having mixed the lymph with honey, proceeds to inoculate44 with a razor. Death is often the consequence of the clumsy operation, of the origin of which no tradition exists; neither has any charm been yet discovered to avert45 the scourge46.
Whilst invalids47 of all classes daily flocked to my camp for medical assistance, applications were not wanting from the palace, in proof of the reputation that we had acquired. One of the princesses royal, who had been lodged48 with the illustrious guest from Achun-Kurra, in the crimson49 pavilion presented by the British Government, found herself in need of advice; and on being visited, lay concealed50 beneath the basket pedestal of a wicker dining-table, whence her sprained51 foot was thrust forth52 for inspection53. Divers54 respectable duennas of the royal kitchen, who had been severely55 scalded by the bursting of a pottage cauldron, were also treated with success when they had been given over by the body physician, at whose merciless hands the sobbing56 patients had been plastered over with honey and soot57. A mutton bone was next extracted from the throat of a page, where it had been firmly wedged for three days. But the cure which elicited58 the most unqualified and universal amazement59 was that of a favourite Baalomaal (Officer of the royal household) who, labouring under a fit of apoplexy, which had deprived him of animation60, was suddenly revived by venesection, after fumigation61 with ashkóko goomun (Hyrax’s cabbage) had been tried without the smallest avail, and preparations were already commencing for his interment.
Medicine, in fact, now engrossed62 the royal attention. Phials and drugs without number were sent to the tent, with a request that they might be so labelled as to admit of the proper dose being administered to patients labouring under complaints, for the removal of which they were respectively adapted. Two or more invalids, who objected to be seen, were certain to arrive at the palace within every four and twenty hours; and no subterfuge63 that ingenuity64 could devise was left untried, by which to augment65 the already ample stock of pills on hand. “You will take care not to give the whole of the remedies to my people, or there will be none left for myself, should I fall sick,” was an almost daily message from the selfish despot. But prescriptions66 designed for his own use were invariably tried first upon a subject; and the much-dreaded goulard-wash having been once more prepared, directions were given to apply it constantly to a boy who had been found labouring under ophthalmia, in order to ascertain67 whether he died or survived.
The most particular inquiries68 were instituted relative to the mode of counteracting69 the influence of the evil eye, and much disappointment was expressed at the unavoidable intimation that Dr Kirk’s dispensary contained neither “the horn of a serpent,” which is believed to afford an invaluable70 antidote71 against witchcraft72, no preservative39 against wounds received in the battle-field, nor any nostrum73 for “those who go mad from looking at a black dog.”
“We princes also fear the small-pox,” said His Majesty, “and therefore never tarry long in the same place. Nagási, my illustrious ancestor, suffered martyrdom from this scourge. Have you no medicine to drive it from myself?”
Vaccine74 lymph there was in abundance, but neither Christian75, Moslem76, nor Pagan had yet consented to make trial of its virtues77. Glasses, hermetically sealed, betwixt which the perishable78 fluid had been deposited, were exhibited, and its use expounded79. “No, no!” quoth the king, as he delivered the acquisition to his master of the horse, with a strict injunction to have it carefully stitched in leather—“this is talakh medánit, very potent80 medicine indeed; and henceforth I must wear it as a talisman81 against the evil that beset82 my forefathers83.”
“You must now give me the medicine which draws the vicious waters from the leg,” resumed His Majesty, “and which is better than the earth from Mount Lebanon;—the medicine which disarms84 venomous snakes, and that which turns the grey hairs black;—the medicine to destroy the worm in the ear of the queen, which is ever burrowing85 deeper;—and, above all, the medicine of the seven colours, which so sharpens the intellects, as to enable him who swallows enough of it, to acquire every sort of knowledge without the slightest trouble. Furthermore, you will be careful to give my people none of this.”
点击收听单词发音
1 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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2 delinquent | |
adj.犯法的,有过失的;n.违法者 | |
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3 squander | |
v.浪费,挥霍 | |
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4 wondrous | |
adj.令人惊奇的,奇妙的;adv.惊人地;异乎寻常地;令人惊叹地 | |
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5 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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6 surgical | |
adj.外科的,外科医生的,手术上的 | |
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7 renowned | |
adj.著名的,有名望的,声誉鹊起的 | |
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8 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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9 disorders | |
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 );凌乱;骚乱;(身心、机能)失调 | |
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10 nuns | |
n.(通常指基督教的)修女, (佛教的)尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
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11 disdain | |
n.鄙视,轻视;v.轻视,鄙视,不屑 | |
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12 brawl | |
n.大声争吵,喧嚷;v.吵架,对骂 | |
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13 contrived | |
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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14 entreated | |
恳求,乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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16 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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17 emaciation | |
n.消瘦,憔悴,衰弱 | |
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18 protruding | |
v.(使某物)伸出,(使某物)突出( protrude的现在分词 );凸 | |
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19 amputation | |
n.截肢 | |
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20 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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21 remonstrated | |
v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 );告诫 | |
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22 almighty | |
adj.全能的,万能的;很大的,很强的 | |
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23 tightened | |
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)变紧; (使)绷紧; 加紧 | |
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24 thong | |
n.皮带;皮鞭;v.装皮带 | |
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25 distended | |
v.(使)膨胀,肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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27 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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28 friction | |
n.摩擦,摩擦力 | |
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29 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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30 amulets | |
n.护身符( amulet的名词复数 ) | |
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31 enchantments | |
n.魅力( enchantment的名词复数 );迷人之处;施魔法;着魔 | |
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32 insanity | |
n.疯狂,精神错乱;极端的愚蠢,荒唐 | |
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33 delirium | |
n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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34 obstinate | |
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 | |
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35 demons | |
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 );恶魔;精力过人的人;邪念 | |
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36 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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37 disastrous | |
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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38 shreds | |
v.撕碎,切碎( shred的第三人称单数 );用撕毁机撕毁(文件) | |
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39 preservative | |
n.防腐剂;防腐料;保护料;预防药 | |
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40 preservatives | |
n.防腐剂( preservative的名词复数 ) | |
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41 devastates | |
v.彻底破坏( devastate的第三人称单数 );摧毁;毁灭;在感情上(精神上、财务上等)压垮 | |
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42 secluded | |
adj.与世隔绝的;隐退的;偏僻的v.使隔开,使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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43 layman | |
n.俗人,门外汉,凡人 | |
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44 inoculate | |
v.给...接种,给...注射疫苗 | |
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45 avert | |
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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46 scourge | |
n.灾难,祸害;v.蹂躏 | |
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47 invalids | |
病人,残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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48 lodged | |
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属 | |
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49 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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50 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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51 sprained | |
v.&n. 扭伤 | |
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52 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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53 inspection | |
n.检查,审查,检阅 | |
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54 divers | |
adj.不同的;种种的 | |
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55 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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56 sobbing | |
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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57 soot | |
n.煤烟,烟尘;vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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58 elicited | |
引出,探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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60 animation | |
n.活泼,兴奋,卡通片/动画片的制作 | |
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61 fumigation | |
n.烟熏,熏蒸;忿恨 | |
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62 engrossed | |
adj.全神贯注的 | |
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63 subterfuge | |
n.诡计;藉口 | |
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64 ingenuity | |
n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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65 augment | |
vt.(使)增大,增加,增长,扩张 | |
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66 prescriptions | |
药( prescription的名词复数 ); 处方; 开处方; 计划 | |
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67 ascertain | |
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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68 inquiries | |
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
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69 counteracting | |
对抗,抵消( counteract的现在分词 ) | |
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70 invaluable | |
adj.无价的,非常宝贵的,极为贵重的 | |
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71 antidote | |
n.解毒药,解毒剂 | |
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72 witchcraft | |
n.魔法,巫术 | |
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73 nostrum | |
n.秘方;妙策 | |
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74 vaccine | |
n.牛痘苗,疫苗;adj.牛痘的,疫苗的 | |
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75 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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76 Moslem | |
n.回教徒,穆罕默德信徒;adj.回教徒的,回教的 | |
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77 virtues | |
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
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78 perishable | |
adj.(尤指食物)易腐的,易坏的 | |
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79 expounded | |
论述,详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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81 talisman | |
n.避邪物,护身符 | |
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82 beset | |
v.镶嵌;困扰,包围 | |
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83 forefathers | |
n.祖先,先人;祖先,祖宗( forefather的名词复数 );列祖列宗;前人 | |
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84 disarms | |
v.裁军( disarm的第三人称单数 );使息怒 | |
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85 burrowing | |
v.挖掘(洞穴),挖洞( burrow的现在分词 );翻寻 | |
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