Afoot and afloat in Burma . cine sellers with their supplies of oilsand powders. Instead of bottles for the oilsthey have small skin bladders taken fromanimals, while leaves take the place of paperfor wrapping up the powders. The same so-called medicines are givenfor all sorts of widely differing complaints;and a great deal seems to depend on the carewith which the patient uses the stuff that hasbeen given him. Perhaps it is that he mustnot tell anybody he has got it; or he musttake it when nobody is watching, or whenthe moon is in the proper place; and if itshould be that it fails to cure the
Afoot and afloat in Burma . cine sellers with their supplies of oilsand powders. Instead of bottles for the oilsthey have small skin bladders taken fromanimals, while leaves take the place of paperfor wrapping up the powders. The same so-called medicines are givenfor all sorts of widely differing complaints;and a great deal seems to depend on the carewith which the patient uses the stuff that hasbeen given him. Perhaps it is that he mustnot tell anybody he has got it; or he musttake it when nobody is watching, or whenthe moon is in the proper place; and if itshould be that it fails to cure the. disease,then it can be nothing else than that theproper directions have not been followed,but never that the medicine was not good. Many, many people are helped by thelittle mission dispensaries. The work donein those places, and by missionaries as theygo through the villages, wins many friendsfor them. Such kindnesses are rarely forgot-ten; and in their own way, perhaps with apresent of cocoanuts or vegetables, or by do-. Superstitious Burmese Saya, as long as we have that charm tied there, our babywill not get sick. Helping the Sick 163 ing some little service, the people try to showtheir gratitude. I often think of one home that I used tovisit. The first time I w^ent there the wifewas sick with fever; but a little simpletreatment soon brought her relief. Everafterward there was always a warm welcomeawaiting me, and the simple village hospital-ity would be shown. They were poor peo-ple who had not much of this worlds goods,but just a drink of cool water is a greatblessing when one has tramped for milesacross the rice fields. Will you drinkwater, saya? the woman would always askme; and receiving assent, away she would goand get the fancy glass decanter, reserved forspecial occasions; and after thoroughly rins-ing it, she would fill it with water, carefullystraining it through a handkerchief. Thehandkerchief was always brought from theinside room, folded up, so one was encour
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidafootafloati, bookyear1922
