Medicine Through Time PDF

Medicine through time Introduction The focus of this topic is on medicine through time. We study indigenous medicine and Western medicine. Western medicine is the science of healing and is practised by doctors and nurses. In Western medicine, doctors decide what the illness is and give medicines...

Medicine through time Introduction The focus of this topic is on medicine through time. We study indigenous medicine and Western medicine. Western medicine is the science of healing and is practised by doctors and nurses. In Western medicine, doctors decide what the illness is and give medicines to treat the illness. Indigenous medicine is a traditional way of healing. The traditional way of healing is practised by healers who decide what causes the illness and treat their patients with herbal remedies. Activity 4.1 Look at the photographs Look at the photographs below Figure 4.1 a) Photograph 1 Figure 4.1 b) Photograph 2 Figure 4.1 c) Photograph 3 Figure 4.1 d) Photograph 4 Write down the number of the photograph that shows a person who practises indigenous medicine. Write down the number of the photograph that shows a person who practises Western medicine. Write down the number of the photograph that shows what medicine a Western medical doctor might suggest for a sick person to take. Write down the number of the photograph that shows what a sangoma might suggest for a person to use. Unit 4.1 Indigenous healing in South Africa What is medicine? Medicine has two meanings: Medicine means the practice of healing people. The illness of a sick person is diagnosed. Medicine can also mean a substance that is used to treat diseases. Medicine is prescribed for the sick person to take. New words diagnose -- find out what kind of illness someone has by examining him or her prescribe -- suggest medicine by a sick person to use origin -- the place where something begins indigenous -- having always been in a place, rather than having come from somewhere else Indigenous healing and Western medicine Indigenous medicine was used in South Africa long ago by hunter-gatherers,herders and African farmers. Indigenous medicine is still used in South Africa today. You learnt about western Europe in Topic 2. Western medicine is called 'western' because it originated in western Europe. Western medicine treats diseases of the physical body. It is based on science and is studied at universities. Western medicine was introduced to South Africa by settlers from Europe. Western medicine is used by most South Africans today, but it has not replaced indigenous healing practices and beliefs. Many people use both Western medicine and traditional medicine. Figure 4.2 World map showing continents Activity 4.2 Find information on a map Look at the map above Write down the number on the map where Western medicine originated. Write down the number on the map where African indigenous medicine originated. What is holistic healing? The indigenous medicine that South Africans use originated in South Africa. Indigenous medicine is sometimes called traditional medicine. Traditional ways of healing are passed on from one generation to the next. New words holistic -- treating the whole person and not just the physical illness ancestors -- the spirits of people who have died Indigenous healers treat the whole person, and not just the physical illness. Traditional healing is therefore called holistic healing. Ancestors are very important in the practice of indigenous medicine. Ancestors are seen as an extended family. There is a close relationship between the living and the dead. There are two main kinds of traditional healers: diviners and herbalists. Diviners (sangomas) Diviners are healers who communicate with the ancestors to diagnose problems. 'Diagnose' means finding out what is causing the problem. They also prescribe medicine for different disases. Figure 4.3 A sangoma is a healer who communicates with the ancestors. Herbalists (nyangas) This group of healers use herbs to cure different diseases. They have a deep knowledge of the medicine contained in indigenous plants. There are more than 500 different kinds of medicinal plants in South Africa. A herbalist specialises in mixing herbs and plants to cure different diseases. They use bulbs, leaves, rocks, tubers, stems, bark and the whole plant. Healing plants include Buchu, the aloe and the african potato. Herbalists are trained for many years as mixing the correct doses is very complicated. Figure 4.4 The juice from the aloe is used for the healing stomach aches, cuts and burns. Case study: The Buchu plant: a healing medicine Western companies are continually discovering more and more pharmaceutical uses for indigenous plants. A plant called Buchu has been used by herbalists to cure stomach and bladder troubles for hundreds of years. Figure 4.5 People have used plants as medicines throughout human history. South Africa has a special healing plant called Buchu that grows in the south-west Cape. Today there is strict control over the gathering of Buchu leaves. This is to prevent people from completely destroying these wild plants. No-one is allowed to pick Buchu without a licence. Today, Buchu leaves are collected by commercial farmers while the plants are flowering. The leaves are dried and exported from Cape Town. Most of the exports are sent to England and the United States of America where the dried Buchu leaves are used in many medicines in the form of liquids, ointments or tablets. More than fifty percent of all drugs used in the world today contain extracts from plants. Activity 4.3 Answer questions on Buchu What is Buchu used for? Is this an example of indigenous or western medicine? Give a reason. Why is there strict control over the gathering of Buchu leaves? What do herbalists and western practitioners have in common? Figure 4.6 This person is a herbalist. Sangomas How people are identified to be sangomas Sangomas are born with a special gift. They are called by their ancestors to help people. New word initiate -- a person learning to be a sangoma Different people experience different things when they are called by the ancestors to be sangomas. Some become ill. Others become thin, scream for no reason, walk in their sleep, or have dreams. These people can't be helped until the family takes them to an experienced sangoma. The experienced sangoma will ask the ancestors what they want the initiate to do.