The Humour and Pathos of Anglo-Indian Life: Extracts from his brother's note-book, made by Dr. TicklemoreMayer, J. E.
General
The Humour and Pathos of Anglo-Indian Life: Extracts from his brother's note-book, made by Dr. Ticklemore
Mayer, J. E.
British -- India; India -- Social life and customs
The breathless anxiety and curiosity of the natives--I may say of
everyone in Court--to see the microscopic experiment, can scarcely be
described. The great majority of the natives looked on the whole thing
as a kind of jadoo, or performance of magic; still, their curiosity was
extreme. As soon as my brother had found the right focus of the
instrument, he pulled out one of the hairs of his head, and placed it on
a slide in the feet of the instrument, and then made the Sheristadar and
one or two other natives in the Court observe it. Having thus convinced
them of the power of the apparatus, and excited their wonder, he placed
with the point of a needle on another slide a very minute portion of
shark's blood. This, when sufficiently attenuated, showed the form and
shape of the blood globules distinctly. My brother then requested the
Judge to look at them. He did so, and was much gratified at being able
to distinguish their form so clearly. After the Judge, the Sheristadar,
the head writer (Mr. Pereira), and two or three others, looked at the
shark's blood and saw the globules. All agreed that they were oval in
shape, and not round. Then a little human blood, shown in the same way,
was examined by the same persons, and all agreed that the globules were
round, and not oval; and all were extremely pleased and gratified. Then
a minute portion of the blood on the toddy knife was examined, and
everyone perceived that the discs were round, and in rolls, just like
the human blood that had been examined just before. The same opinion was
given of blood taken from the cloth, and from the hand. Thus it was
proved, beyond the possibility of doubt, that the statement of Kulmuck
was false; and that the blood on the knife, and on the cloth, and also
that from his hand, was not the blood of a shark. Mr. H. was delighted,
and, after some compliments to my brother, said, 'You have rendered us
an essential service.' The Sheristadar and all in Court were in a state
of excitement and exaltation that cannot well be described. They seemed
almost inclined to make a little deity of my brother, and their words
were those of extravagant praise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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