Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
part, particularly for the treatment of wounds, abscesses, and skin infections. The pressed liquid
may be clarified and instilled into the eyes for the treatment of eye infections. Other methods for the
preparation of drugs include roasting, burning, soaking, and chewing the plant parts.
The herbalist seldom keeps a stock of herbal preparations, except those for minor ailments; he
usually relies on spiritual guidance for the selection of the correct prescription for each illness and
for each sick person; drugs are usually freshly prepared in the presence of relatives of the sick per-
son. The most common dosage form in many parts of Africa is the decoction or other liquid prepara-
tion; however, molded tablets, usually made with kaolin as the excipient, are also widely dispensed.
The drug is usually drunk for most internal diseases or applied topically for external infections.
It is common to incorporate drugs with food and drink. In central Africa, the most common way to
administer medicines is by enema (clyster). These enemas are blamed for many infant deaths; anti-
dotes are difficult to formulate because of the veil of secrecy around the ingredients and methods of
preparation. The enema vessels are made from suitably shaped gourds or from pieces of wood hol-
lowed out as funnels, sometimes decorated with gold trimmings or magical signs. For infants, the
mother fills her mouth with the medicine and, by means of a small tube, introduces it directly into
the rectum of the child or blows with her lips to the child's anus. The advent of plastics as a house-
hold utensil has caused some traditional enema cans to be replaced by suitably shaped synthetic
devices. The advantages of this mode of treatment are obvious and even more appreciated if one
remembers that the toxicity of some of the herbal preparations is not well known. The knowledge of
herbs is not restricted to the professional herbalist; experienced relatives and neighbors often give
recommendations on useful herbs for simple ailments.
the Midwife and Birth attendant
Occupying a prominent and special position in African ethnomedicine are the midwives and
birth attendants. They know how to diagnose pregnancy and the position of the fetus. To confirm
pregnancy, they administer special plants; if menstruation does not return, it is concluded that con-
ception has really taken place. In some parts of Africa, there is a clear distinction between the
traditional midwife who takes care of pregnant women and attends their delivery and the birth
attendants, who simply attend to women in labor. In the scientific literature, however, this distinc-
tion is considered superfluous, and both categories are referred to as TBAs.
Midwives are usually older women who are no longer of their childbearing age and have long
stopped having children of their own. Midwifery is not usually a full-time occupation since the fee
is small. More important, the midwife in the communalistic setting of African society sees herself
as merely contributing her skill for the general good of her society. A pregnant woman or one in
labor is considered the responsibility of the entire community: “We have a new child” is how the
birth of a new baby is usually announced. If the labor is difficult, the midwives massage and press
on the abdomen, use traction, and work on the fetus. Sometimes, it is considered necessary to “wash
the womb” by putting the hands, smeared with secret herbs, into the vagina and to administer drugs
that are said to induce the fetus to develop normally and to correct its position. In certain parts of
Africa, vegetable packs are applied before delivery.
A pregnant woman is attended by the midwife from early in her pregnancy. The midwife is
also consulted if a birth attendant experiences difficulty with any delivery; the midwife handles
all labor complications. She also treats sterility; the responsibility for a childless marriage and the
sex of a child is usually placed on the woman, and the midwife is expected to provide appropriate
medicine for the wife to correct either situation. As long as there is erection and ejaculation, the man
is absolved from all blame in a childless marriage. Rituals are performed and the appropriate medi-
cines dispensed to promote fertility. The lot of a childless wife in African society is indeed pitiable.
Birth by cesarean section is not common, not for want of knowledge but because it is rarely
necessary to seek surgical intervention during childbirth. One of the most remarkable examples of
