The Last Voyage: Captain Cook's Lost Diary by Hammond Innes

Author:Hammond Innes [Innes, Hammond]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

PACIFIC ISLANDS

natives who had ulcers on their bodies, others with the nose or parts of it missing. They do not regard it of great account, which surprises me, so that I am inclined to think that they were inflicted of the disease prior to my visiting the islands on my last voyage since such a short interval of time would seem to be insufficient to produce so dreadful a disfigurement.* When the swellings are sufficiently big to cause a tumour they make deep gashes across it with a sharks tooth or other sharp instrument. Some have swellings of the legs and arms for which they apply a piece of sinew tied very tight to prevent it spreading. This is not the Venereal but something else, very near as shocking to look upon.t

Whatever the cause of these people being infected with Venereal I intend to hold very strict to the precautions I have always taken wherever we may anchor so that so far as is possible I cannot be accused of having brought our own disease to the islands. I can do no more, and if the Spaniards or the Russians, or anybody else, have been there before me my conscience in this matter will be free of any guilt.

* Possibly yaws or even infection from cuts caused by the coral when swimming. | Obviously elephantiasis.

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