In running over the diseases for the last five years, many cases of
common occurrence, not of dangerous or severe nature, are omitted,
from the fact that no particular inventory was required, so that the
enclosed number of cases are merely taken at the time of attendance
from their symptoms and necessity for peculiar or active treatment.
You are aware that the Savnia Indians are principally Christians, or
call themselves such, although living in a half-civilized state. For
one portion of the year they are living in warm comfortable houses,
while provisions and the necessaries of life are easily procured by
them; during this period they are happy and contented, little sickness
prevailing. The other portion of the year, from a peculiar propensity,
I suppose inherent in the race, _they take to the bush_, while their
living in wigwams, scant of clothing, provisions hard to be obtained,
exposed to all the vicissitudes of climate, wet feet, &c., as a natural
consequence _intermittents, remittent, and other fevers, rheumatism,
laryngitis, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, phthisis pulmonalis,
follow invariably_.
_Their diversity of diet_ and method of living has a most pernicious
influence in causing dyspepsia, worms, and most other ills to which
the alimentary canal is liable, while congestion of liver, lungs, and
irritation of bladder are of very frequent occurrence in a mild form;
_from this cause_ the whole tribe suffer, even to children of a year
old.
What may have been their ailments while in a heathen state I cannot
say, not being in attendance on them, but from what I hear of the
number of deaths at that period, from variola before the introduction
of vaccination, exposure, scant clothing and diet, and changes of
climate, &c., it must have been enormous; to draw any definite result
or give an average of deaths from their former and present mode of
living would be impossible on my part. The few families of {67}
_Christian Indians_ on the reserve who live as _whites_ are just as
healthy, and increase in numbers equally, while the whole tribe, as
they are at present, increase yearly.
THOMAS W. JOHNSTON, M.D.,
Savnia, C. W.