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2 took her seat modestly between the Sheri sh ted ars, or clerks, and
3 behaved with great decorum. The people looked first at one
4 another, and then at the woman, as if, though conscious of her
5 identity, they could scarcely credit the evidence of their own
6 senses. Even Major Mac Gregor was astonished, and asked me
7 what I had done to make her behave so well ? My answer was,
8 “ by cleanliness, some physic, douche-baths, decent dress, good
9 food, amusements, occupation, presents, promises, &c., &c. ; all
10 this, connected with good treatment, scarcely ever fails to bring
11 back such poor creatures to a state of reason. I never beat
12 them, never ill-treat them, but I prevent them from doing any
13 mischief to others or to them selves.'” This reply highly pleased
14 the major. The woman in question was about forty years of
15 age, and when she was committed to my care, she was so furious
16 that every one feared her. She was jumping about, beating all
17 whom she met, and would have flung stones and other pro-
18 jectiles at any one near her, if she had not been prevented;
19 but her fury soon subsided, she became as quiet as she had
20 formerly been boisterous, and was scarcely able to walk. On
21 an examination, I found her suffering from the syphilitic
22 disease. I asked her how long she had had that disorder ; she
23 answered, a long time. Probably she had a lues occulta , which
24 might have been the cause of her mental complaint, only when
25 the lues broke out again she 'got rid of the disorder. I regret
26 having neglected that opportunity of trying what effect syphi-
27 litic inoculation might have produced. This woman gave
28 me a curious relation of what had occurred to her, and which she
29 stated to have been the primitive cause of her madness. She told
30 me that she had sometime since spent all she was worth on the
31 occasion of the marriage of her only son, but no sooner had the
32 bride arrived than she discovered her to be an hermaphrodite.
33 She made her complaint to the kardar (magistrate) of the village
34 without obtaining any satisfaction, because the judge inclined to
35 that side where the money was in greater abundance. This fact
36 induced her to go to Lahore and apply to the English for redress.
37 On this occasion she lost her reason. Nevertheless, she stopped