The
History of Medicine
What
is traditional medicine and healing?
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| GRADE LEVEL | SECTION | SUB-SECTION | DURATION |
| 6 | AFRICAN HISTORY | HISTORY OF MEDICINE | LESSONS |
The
History of Medicine |
| Traditional medicine and healing are part of South Africa’s diverse culture and legacy. Currently traditional healing is classified as informal medicine as opposed to Western orthodox formal practice. There are efforts to regulate the practice and to support its role in healing. Formal medicine is a type of medical practice that is written down and well documented according to an established system. This type of system was brought to South Africa by colonisers in 1652 and is traditionally a Western form of medicine based on the structure of the human body. Informal medicine is a combination of practices and remedies that are passed from person to person and generally look at illness as having mental, physical and emotional factors. In South Africa the medical practices of the Nguni, Khoisan and Sotho people have not been written down or systemised and are still taught by word of mouth. Informal medical practices are part of many people’s culture. Afrikaners also had forms of informal medical practices in which they used plants and animal products. This was called 'boererate'. Many judgments have been made about the inferiority of indigenous ways of healing but they remain a very important resource in society. Western civilisation also grew through colonisation and non-Western countries were forced to adopt the traditions of their colonisers. Other informal and ancient medical practices used in South Africa are Ayurvedic medicine from India, traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy. These are all based on the belief that the body is capable of healing itself and needs to be supported to do so in times of stress. The understanding of illness differs widely with that of conventional medicine as it comes out of Eastern belief systems.These traditions do not emphasise the physical structure of the body with its different organs but rather on the functioning of the human being as a whole entity including mental and spiritual layers. Western medicine concentrates on the treatment of symptoms through the use of drugs such as antibiotics rather than on addressing the cause of the symptoms. Western doctors are often criticised for their clinical approach, in which they are more concerned with dispensing drugs than with listening to patients. Another issue is that many drugs cannot tell the difference between healthy and damaged tissue, and so attack both the disease as well as the healthy immune system. This weakens the body’s resistance to infection. Traditional African medicine examines wider causes of illness including family environment and social circumstances and provides counselling for the patient and treating the symptoms with local herbs and potions. Traditional healers use herbs, animal products and minerals to make up medicines as well as special spiritual knowledge called divining in their treatment. The popularity of traditional healers is often said to lie in their focus on psychological issues with the healer playing an important role to reassure patients and make them feel less anxious.. Traditional healing is a very important part of life, with about 60% of South Africans visiting these healers and using traditional medicines. There are now about 200 000 registered traditional healers in South Africa who complement the use of orthodox medicine. Registration has helped to regulate this industry to ensure consumers are protected and that healers conduct themselves in a professional manner.
Picture
A: A Zulu traditional healer pointing with
her divining stick at the shells and bones
Picture
B: A Xhosa traditional healer training
students at Jeffrey’s
Bay.
Picture
C: A
Sotho traditional healer being initiated. By Guy Stubbs. South Africans call traditional healers many different things. We use “inyanga” and “isngoma” in Zulu, “ixwele” and “amaquira” in Xhosa, “nqaka in Sotho and “bossiedokter” and “kruiedokter” in the Western and Northern Cape. The terms “inyanga” used to mean herbalist and “sangoma” used to mean diviner, but today some healers practice both arts. There are also ”abathandazi” or spirit mediums and traditional birth attendants or midwives. Older tribe members in rural areas generally know a lot about herbs and use their skills as first-aid helpers. At the moment there is no way to make sure that your traditional healer is really a healer, but an organisation called the Vulindaba Trust is developing ways to educate people on how to do this. Outcomes: The learner is able to use information from sources to answer questions about traditional medicinal practices in South Africa, and to communicate knowledge and understanding by writing a paragraph and discussion. The learner is also able to give reasons and explains the results of events that changed the way people live.
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