Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 97-99. (Budapest, 1982)

KISEBB KÖZLEMÉNYEK - ELŐADÁSOK - Müller Mária: Népi gyógymódok, hiedelmek az algériai kabilok között (angol nyelven)

I met with little understanding since they believe that tight bandage assures straight legs and arms for the child. The most wide-spread curring method of the marabu is to make small incisions on the skin of the child with a razor. Incase of high fever and typhus, incisions are made on the forehead at right angles to the eyebrow. If the child coughs, incisions are made on the skin of the back, at both sides of the vertebral column, parallel with it or askew. In case of epilepsy a tonsure is cut on the head of the patients and circular or spiral incisions are made on the spot. In case of diarrhoea or stomach-ache the incisions are made in rays around the navel. As 1 have mentioned the use of henna is widely spread. Beside skin troubles they use it to alleviate pains by means of smearing it on the aching part. It serves for cultic purposesas well : the palm and planta of the bride are smeared with it. A cleaning woman working at my ward smeared henna on the sole and palm of a patient I treated for severe tuberculotic pleural deformity and when the patient's state ameliorated she regarded it as her own success. A very drastic form of therapy proposed by the marabu is the treatment of children struggling with air-thirst. The child's chest is wound by a scarf or long belt and a knot is made on it. This therapy is used exclusively with defenceless children or unconscious adults. That is how patient with pneumonia, diphteria and asthma were brought in for consultation. The first thing 1 would do was to liberate the patient from his bonds and explain to the parents why this must not be done. The patient with measles is clad into red clothes saying it will make the eruptions break out. The ideas of red colour and measles are designated by the same word in their language. Coniuncitivitis due to measles is treated with the same dye which is used against the evil eye. It provokes severe purulent coniuncitivitis. Patients with measles or other high fevers are not allowed to drink from which severe forms of exsiccosis ensue. The marabu forbids drinking also in case of diarrhoea and vomiting. Asthmatic, bronchitic patients are treated with smoke gained from the combustion of resin. The needles of various pines are cooked and the steam inhalted. I frequently saw pine-needles on the skin of asthmatic patients. Children often arrived to the consultation with green leaves, mostly of laurel, on the chest. This is likely to have served antipyretic purpose. Head-ache is treated by bonding an eucalyptus twig with a kerchief on the aching side. I expressly did not mention the ritual circumcision and the relating beliefs and customs. Neither will I treat the complications arising from this procedure. By constant education work I succeeded in achieving a decrease in the number of umbilical tetanus. In several villages the marabus learned that the chest of sufferers from respiratory diseases must not be tied down. After the arrival of my pediatrician collègue we struggled together to achieve that the sick child should be taken to the doctor instead of the marabu. It also happened that the marabu did not undertake the treatment of a sick child but directed him in time to the doctor. In summer 1974 I received 25-30 patients during the consultation hours. Later this number augmented to 80-90.