Syphilis rages in some parts of the country.

There was at the time of my visit to Pino Gordo hardly a native there who had not, at one time or another, been afflicted with it; but the victims get quickly over it without special treatment, sometimes within a year.

Children of syphilitic parents show the symptoms soon after birth.

Small-pox, too, plays havoc among the population.

I have seen some people suffering with cataract in the eyes, and some foot-runners complained that their sight sometimes became impaired during or after a race.