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probable that he would seldom afterwards be off the hands
of the country.
These evils had long been apparent and recognised; yet
people were too indolent, and too indifferent to suffering
not their own, to bestir themselves about putting an end to
them, until at last a benevolent reformer devoted his whole
life to effecting the necessary changes. He divided all ill-
nesses into three classes— those affecting the head, the
trunk, and the lower limbs—and obtained an enactment
that all diseases of the head, whether internal or external,
should be treated with laudanum, those of the body with
castor-oil, and those of the lower limbs with an embroca-
tion of strong sulphuric acid and water.
It may be said that the classification was not sufficiently
careful, and that the remedies were ill chosen; but it is a
hard thing to initiate any reform, and it was necessary to
familiarise the public mind with the principle, by insert-
ing the thin end of the wedge first: it is not, therefore, to be
wondered at that among so practical a people there should
still be some room for improvement. The mass of the nation
are well pleased with existing arrangements, and believe
that their treatment of criminals leaves little or nothing to
be desired; but there is an energetic minority who hold what
are considered to be extreme opinions, and who are not at
all disposed to rest contented until the principle lately ad-
mitted has been carried further.
I was at some pains to discover the opinions of these men,
and their reasons for entertaining them. They are held in
great odium by the generality of the public, and are consid-

1 Erewhon