Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
lung to remove a penetrating arrowhead; there was an account of a man who had his abdomen
ripped open by an elephant and was treated by a traditional doctor by replacing the intestines in the
abdominal cavity, securing them in place with a calabash covering, and finally suturing together
the overlying abdominal wall and skin.
7
According to Thompson, not only did the patient recover,
but also the patient was soon back on a road gang.
8
Masai surgeons are reputed to treat pleurisy and
pneumonitis successfully by creating a partial collapse of the lung by drilling holes into the chest
of the patient.
When compared with modern orthodox medicine, one can say that not much surgery is pres-
ently practiced in traditional African medicine. Occasionally, there are amputations performed with
“anesthesia,” the patient often being sent to sleep with a strong narcotic concoction and the amputa-
tion done with a very sharp knife. The excision has to be achieved with the first stroke. The stump
is packed with a suitable vegetable preparation, and healing usually occurs within 4 weeks. The
surgeons in Bafuleroland are renowned for their precision in cutting off the upper end of the throat
flap (epiglottis) for the treatment of a variety of illnesses. The cutting of the uvula is also widely
practiced. Some Western doctors have indicated that uvulectomy could protect the patient from
infections of the pharynx and of the respiratory system. The experts explain that the defensive func-
tion of the Weldeir lymphatic ring would be enhanced after the operation.
Orthopedic surgery, or bonesetting, has reached a high level of excellence in traditional African
medicine. The art of repairing fractures and other orthopedic injuries has attained a level of success
comparable to the European or Western method of orthopedic treatment. It is therefore tempting
to postulate that the skill of bonesetters was influenced by early European visitors, but a detailed
analysis of their methods does not support this viewpoint. Other than the use of wooden splints to
immobilize the fractures, the herbs used and the incantations recited are not customary in European
medicine. A more fundamental difference is the use of a hot application of peppers and other rube-
facients in African bonesetting in situations for which European doctors would prescribe cold
compresses. A noteworthy feature in this form of treatment is the high rate of success; the author
monitored 84 cases of fractures, rated as major by Western-trained doctors, successfully repaired
without recourse to modern hospital treatment. The occurrence of abnormally shaped limbs follow-
ing treatment was rare.
Traditional bonesetters are often capable of arresting the deterioration of gangrenous limbs that
would normally require amputation, and patients have been withdrawn from orthodox hospitals by
dissatisfied relatives and sent to traditional bonesetters, there to receive a better and faster cure. I
have witnessed an extreme case of a victim of a motor accident who was treated by a qualified ortho-
pedic surgeon, but who, not being satisfied with the crooked shape of his leg, consulted the native
bonesetter. The latter examined him and properly reset his leg. What is even more significant is that
after giving the patient a piece of herb to chew, the bonesetter had the poorly set bone broken again,
reset the leg, and achieved a satisfactory recovery in 4 weeks. The patient did not feel any pain dur-
ing the refracturing that preceded the treatment. A chicken whose left leg was also fractured at the
commencement of the treatment was used to determine when the healing was completed and the
time to remove the wrapped splints and clay cast.
Various traditional methods are known for applying traction to a fractured leg. Bonesetters in
Manoland place patients in the loft of a house, allowing the affected leg to dangle freely with a
heavy stone attached. Others are said to dig a deep pit for the purpose of exercising traction. Once
the fracture has been reduced, the bones are immobilized with a tight splint.
Other forms of surgery in traditional African medicine include the following:
1. Tribal marks
2. Clitoridectomy or female circumcision
3. Removal of whitlow
