ous
depression and strain, extreme weakness of the spine and oscillations of
the hands when spread horizontally with the fingers and thumbs wide
apart. This may in one way be accounted for by the difficulty that men
have in obtaining wives, owing to the scarcity of women. Apoplectic and
epileptic fits and convulsions were not of very frequent occurrence, but
they seemed severe when they did occur. The fire cure was usually applied
in order to drive away the spirits that were supposed to have entered the
body, but, all the same, these fits at times resulted in temporary or
occasionally permanent paralysis, and much derangement and disfiguration
of the facial expression, particularly about the eyes and mouth. I had
occasion to study three very good specimens of this kind at Tucker, at
Tarbar, north of the Brahmaputra River, and at Tokchim.

Much to my regret I never came across any violent cases of insanity
during my stay in the country, though many times I observed strange
peculiarities among the men, and signs of mania, more particularly
religious.

In women I several times noticed symptoms of melancholia, caused no doubt
by abuse of sexual intercourse, owing to their strange laws of polyandry.
I was told that occasionally it led to suicide by drowning or
strangulation. However, I was never able to keep any of the suspicious
cases under close observation for any length of time, and, as our arrival
into Tibetan camps generally created some amount of fear and sensation,
and we usually left before they could be quite at home with us, I never
had a chance of studying the subject more closely.

[Illustration: THE TOKCHIM TARJUM]

CHAPTER XLIX

A Tibetan medicine-man--Lumbago, and a startling cure for
it--Combustible fuses--Fire and butter--Prayers, agony, and
distortions--Strange ideas on medicine.

STRANGE as the Tibetan remedies seemed to be, none came up, as far as
interest went, to one I saw applied at a place called Kutzia. I had
entered a camp of some twenty or thirty tents, when my attention was
drawn to an excited crowd collected round an old man whose garments had
been removed. He was tightly bound with ropes, and agony was depicted on
his features. A tall, long-haired man with red coat and heavy boots knelt
by the side of the sufferer and prayed fervently, twirling round a
prayer-wheel which he held in his right hand.

My curiosity aroused, I approached the gathering, whereupon three