All Abscesses They Open With The
Actual Cautery; And The Dressings Are Composed Of Either Soft Leaves,
Shea-Butter, Or Cows' Dung, As The Case Seems, In Their Judgment, To
Require.
Towards the Coast, where a supply of European lancets can be
procured, they sometimes perform phlebotomy; and in cases of local
inflammation, a curious sort of cupping is practised.
This operation is
performed by making incisions in the part, and applying to it a bullock's
horn, with a small hole in the end. The operator then takes a piece of
bees-wax in his mouth, and putting his lips to the hole, extracts the air
from the horn; and by a dexterous use of his tongue, stops up the hole
with the wax. This method is found to answer the purpose, and in general
produces a plentiful discharge.
When a person of consequence dies, the relations and neighbours meet
together, and manifest their sorrow by loud and dismal howlings. A
bullock or goat is killed for such persons as come to assist at the
funeral, which generally takes place in the evening of the same day on
which the party died. The Negroes have no appropriate burial places, and
frequently dig the grave in the floor of the deceased's hut, or in the
shade of a favourite tree. The body is dressed in white cotton, and
wrapped up in a mat. It is carried to the grave in the dusk of the
evening by the relations. If the grave is without the walls of the town,
a number of prickly bushes are laid upon it, to prevent the wolves from
digging up the body; but I never observed that any stone was placed over
the grave, as a monument or memorial.
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