ABSTRACT
When the members of a family are sick one after the other, the sickness is very often attributed to the evil agency of a god called the “destroying god,” which is believed to cause diseases in families. The priest provides himself with a small bell, which he rings while he repeats his formulas; and with a bowl of water which he sprinkles or snaps with his fingers on the articles offered, and on the sick person. The sick person’s illness is sometimes attributed to the spirit of his or her former wife or husband, which has finally succeeded in finding its partner. The Chinese dread the ravages of the small-pox and of the measles among their children. They have goddesses to cure these diseases. If the child recovers, the family make to those who presented the tokens of their sympathy during his illness a return present, which is regarded as an expression of their gratitude to them for their kindness.
