Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
determine whether they are due to spirit intrusion. Because it is easy to propitiate these spirits and
have things return to normal, if the changes persist and progress to irritability, lack of coordination,
aggression, or other manic behavior, then the patient is treated for insanity. The cure can be effected
in most cases only before the patient exhibits his or her insanity in marketplaces, hence the common
question, “Opuola ahia?” (“Has he entered the market?”)
2.
Fever:
Abnormal elevation of body temperature is not considered a disease in itself. It has to be persis-
tent or recurrent to be serious. The healer has to eliminate the possibility of the fever being due to inju-
ries or trauma. The healer will examine the bowel and probe for pains in different parts of the body.
Fevers are believed to be due to malaria, arthritis, and infection. Fevers due to colds are not considered
serious enough to consult a herbalist—everybody tolerates the flu and waits for it to pass away.
3.
Jaundice:
In Africa, signs of jaundice are observed in the whites of the eyes, urine, and the fingers.
The yellow color is due to accumulation of a substance called bilirubin, produced by the breakdown
of red blood cells. In normal circumstances, the liver transforms bilirubin into an excretable form,
which the body expels through the urine and feces. Jaundice associated with fever is taken seriously
and is indicative of hepatitis.
4.
Seizure:
Convulsions are treated seriously in African medicine and are vaguely associated with heat
storage and distribution. Jerking or twitching, stiffening, and lapses in awareness due to abnormal
electrical discharges in the brain are considered by the native healers to have a spiritual causation.
5.
Diarrhea:
Frequent bowel movement (stools) or loosening of the consistency of the stool to soft,
liquid, or even watery feces indicates a sick bowel. If the stooling is excessive or too frequent, then
Otoro
(Igbo, Nigeria) is diagnosed; Otoro it is often fatal. It can have a spiritual causation or be a
result of poisoning. Presence of blood in the stool is considered even more serious since this could
be due to dysentery, internal injuries, or witchcraft. Eating of unripe fruits (especially mangoes) and
the first harvest of vegetables are believed to precipitate diarrhea and even dysentery.
6.
Bleeding:
A break in a blood vessel from a large artery or a tiny capillary is a sign of a potentially
dangerous condition. External bleeding is easily recognized and evaluated. Minor cuts and hemato-
mas are arrested with leaves and are not usually probed further for any associated illness or cause.
Internal bleeding, either into a muscle or into the various organs, can be diagnosed accurately from
careful examination of the urine, sputum, and feces and from palpitating the relevant organ; once
diagnosed, the correct medication is prescribed. The color of the blood is also carefully examined to
determine if it is dark or bright red. The seriousness of prolonged minor or severe bleeding is well
understood by the healers, and the condition is treated as life threatening.
Bleeding from the nose
or nosebleed is attributed to overexposure to the sun, delayed symptoms
from traumatic head injury, concussion, and nasal injury.
Bleeding from the mouth, gums, and teeth
is due mainly to bad oral hygiene and improper feeding.
Chew sticks with bacteriostatic properties are prescribed.
Bleeding from vagina
,
if not during the normal menstrual period, is considered very serious. If an
unmarried girl is bleeding, then abortion is suspected; married women sometimes miscarry.
Blood in the urine
indicates serious disease in the bladder: akpa mamiri, infection of the urinary
tract, and certain worm infestations. If not curable, then external inputs are investigated (e.g.,
illicit sexual intercourse, sorcery, etc.).
Coughing and vomiting blood
are signs of trouble with the chest or stomach. Tuberculosis and
ulcers are often associated with bleeding. Most inexperienced doctors usually refer patients
coughing or vomiting blood to hospitals for intensive care.
7.
Breathing Difficulty:
The breath of life,
umendu
, is indeed the most vital ingredient in the life
process. Difficulty in breathing is distressing, a frightening symptom of many major diseases. In
Igbo medicine, this condition is associated with weakness in the heart rather than the air passage.
Treatment often depends on the underlying cause, which is not always organic.
8.
Swelling:
If the swelling is minor and localized, then the disease is considered to be of organic
origin and treated as simple inflammation. More generalized swellings are due to fluid retention
or edema, and the healer often probes the patient and conducts physical examinations to determine
the afflicted part of the body and the extent of damage. There are nonspecific generalized swellings
associated with poisoning, evil spirits, and sorcery. Bloodletting, using a horn open on both ends or
suitably shaped cups, is the usual method for treating chronic edema.
