Antall József – Buzinkay Géza szerk.: Népi gyógyítás Magyarországon / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 7-8. (Budapest, 1975)
Hoppál Mihály—Törő László: Népi gyógyítás Magyarországon (magyar és angol nyelven)
96 Comm. Hist. Artis Med. Suppl. 7—8. (1975) nated his future vocation as healer. Being born the seventh in the family, or being delivered with teeth or in the caul could be interpreted as sings of special calling. Cases of learning folk medical skills from an experienced practitioner for a fee are also on record. There is also the folk belief that expertise could be acquired through a magical process. This involved the fulfilment of certain magico-mythological procedures for the acquisition of medical skills. One instance was the formly-held tradition that the person rubbing his hands with the fat of a snake caught on the dawn of St. George's Day would learn the secrets of medicinal herbs and thereby acquire a particular command of herbal medical knowledge. Certain professions, furthermore, were linked in folk belief, to the calling of the healer: midwife, blacksmith, swineherd, shepherd. Several aspects of the relationships between village healer and his clients should be pointed out. Each region had an outstanding, famous healer, who received visitors from the surrounding and even distant villages. The fame of such healers was based primarily on the widespread and complete confidence in his powers held by the village community. This trust partially explains the psychological, if not medical success of healers. On the other hand it is explained also by the mentality of the peasant seeking medical help, who accepted any promising medical treatment from the village healer. The extraordinary confidence of the individual peasant in the healer is explained by his fundamental trust and acceptance of a person with interests and psychology akin to his own. Healers were naturally conscious of this trust and frequently abused it. They gave advice, proposed impractical treatments, diagnosed in general terms and suggested even magical-superstitious remedies. Sometimes no treatment was offered on the ground that the trouble had been caused by a healer or bewitcher of such powers which surpassed his own. 3 This general picture can be supplemented by the results of ethnographic research illuminating ethnomedieine in 20th century Hungary. We possess special information on various healing specialists active in Hungarian peasant villages. There were specialists who treated fractures ("csontrakók" literally bone-setters), 4 pulled teeth : 5 cured rabies ("veszett-orvos") and fortune tellers ("javas"). 6 The teeth pullers used rather simple instruments for their task, shown in the present exhibit (Illustrations 68—70). Other specialists treated specific illnesses and maladies, such as jaundice, sore throats, stomach troubles, but their activity was usually restricted within the circle of family and kin. (Illustrations 46, 53—55, 58—59 and 48—49, 60—64.) 3 Diószegi, 1958. in his classical study gives a detailed analysis of these questions and treats the persons of the healers and medicine-men. 4 Ébñer, 1931. 6 Vajkai, 1937. A. and 1938. 6 Szűcs, 1938.
