“Be it known to you that my two Physicians, Mirza Abdul Wahid Khan and Mirza Abul Rashid Khan, are directed by me to consult you and take your advice concerning the customs and ways in which Europeans of to-day rear their children, and also concerning the proper time for putting on and removing the bandages, and the time of giving milk, and of cradling and sleeping, and all things which are necessary for the nourishment of a child, which are written by the doctors and scientific men of Europe. These physicians are acquainted with the customs of the Greeks, and I desire that they be informed concerning the customs of Europeans.”
Amîr Abdurrahman,
“Finis.” “I have written it.”
The Hakims arrived at half-past seven in the evening. I have spoken of the courtly old Abdul Wahid with his Roman face. He was Hakim to Amîr Shere Ali. Abdul Rashid was the very fat man with interminable words. He did the talking, because he was ignorant, and Abdul Wahid sat silent. They were both exceedingly polished as became Court physicians.
We compared the customs of Orientals and Occidentals in the rearing of infants. The Hakims were very surprised to hear that we did not bandage infants closely from shoulder to ankle, and so prevent them from moving a limb.
“How then can you ensure that the child’s limbs grow not crooked? What other method is there for keeping them straight?”
I said, “Cannot Allah who created each child finish His work and cause its limbs to grow straight without our help.”
“Beshak—undoubtedly, Allah is all-powerful and all-wise; but our fathers, and our fathers’ fathers, placed bandages on the children, and they were wise men. How do you account for the fact that in some children the legs are bent?”
I forthwith entered into an explanation of the causes of rickets. How that want of pure air, of sunlight, and free movement of the limbs, of suitable food, produced a disease of the bones in which the lime salts were absorbed, leaving only the soft bendable gristle, and so on—but it was not any use: they knew nothing about pathology, or anatomy either. So we left that and went on to other matters.
The Rearing of Afghan Infants.
The Afghan baby—among the rich—is wrapped up as to the head and neck by a stifling head-dress, rather like that which an Arab wears to protect him from the sun, and I could not make them understand the advantage of dispensing with a head covering indoors.