E. THE WAR DOCTOR.
Igqira elilitola. (the doctor who is of war.)
Plural. Amagqira amatola.
In time of war, before proceeding to battle the companies are doctored, each soldier being submitted to the process.
The war doctor (Itola) always a man, is sent for and prepares a large vessel of war medicine, with much ceremony and incantation, and of this each warrior partakes, and is in consequence considered immunised from the danger of his enemies’ weapons (always, be it understood, provided he be at peace and in the good graces of his departed ancestors.)
These ancestors have sacrifices offered to them by every warrior, including the king and chief indunas on the eve of battle. Many curious practices take place at such a time which it is outside the province of this essay to describe. They are, however, very interesting, as evidence of various superstitions believed by the Kaffir. [[52]]
CHAPTER IV.
NATIVE PRACTICES.
A. Medicine. Diseases known to Natives: Native names: supposed causes and recognised cures.
In dealing with this subject I have as far as possible compiled information received from a large number of individuals, chiefly Native chiefs, educated Natives, Missionaries, &c., and, as in soliciting information terms understood by such had to be used, I have continued to use the same terms, classifications and nomenclature of disease, etc.
“Icesina,” Fevers. Natural Diseases.
There is a wand-like snake called “In-Gum-babane,” which is supposed to eat up the man inside and thus cause death. The Kaffirs try to stop the entrance of the snake or to arrest its progress by using bitter and strong smelling herbs, which they administer internally, as well as by rubbing well all round the orifices of the body, mouth, nose, anus, etc.
A general method of treatment for these fevers as well as other constitutional diseases is [[53]]called “Uku Nyakamisa Imbiza” (to wet a pot).
This is carried out in the following way:—
Roots of several kinds of medicinal plants are collected, placed in a gourd, covered with water and allowed to soak. Of which infusion repeated doses are administered to the patient. The supply of the infusion is kept up by adding more water until the roots either shoot or putrify. The patient is then given a severe purge and emetic and is expected to be cured.
Measles. I-Masisi. Scarlatina. I-Rashalala, or more usually Ungana. These two diseases are considered as one, scarlatina being the more grave.
Treatment:—a Fresh goats dung, “Ingqata,” is taken and boiled in goats milk and this drunk hot in cupfulls. It helps to bring out the rash and cause profuse perspiration. The remaining dung is dried, powdered, mixed with fat and rubbed all over the body. b. Wormwood (Um-hlonyane) is also sometimes used for steaming the patient, and if the throat be bad, infusions are gargled, made from a mucilaginous wood the (Indlebe yemvu) Helichrysum appendiculatum (Less).
c. The leaves and shoots of (Um-pafa) wait-a-bit thorn tree, are boiled, the steam inhaled [[54]]and the concoction gargled.
d. The throat may be fomented and poulticed.
e. The poison taken from a snake, mixed with gall (from the snake) and clay is also given in small quantities by some doctors.
Mealie-meal porridge and meat-soups are allowed and solids forbidden. So it is in all fevers.
Smallpox. In-gqakaqa, as in the case of Measles.
Typhoid Fever. I-cesina Seronya.
This is the typical Kaffir fever disease, caused by the entrance of the snake, In-qumbabane and its eating the patient up inside.
Treatment:—a. The patient is steamed, dosed, and rubbed all over with wormwood (Unhlonyane), the dosing being very liberal. All intended to prevent the snake killing the man and to drive it out of him.
b. The following herbs are also used as the infusions of their roots:—I-tshongwe (Xysmalobium lapatifolium) Dutch: Bitter wortel, and ubuvumba (Withania somnifera.)
The residuum of any of the above infusions is well rubbed over the orifices, to prevent the In-qumbabane from entering in numbers. The [[55]]couch and hut are strewn with the leaves of evil smelling plants and even nicotine has been used to rub round the orifices, principally the anus, through which the snake usually enters and the I-qwili (Alepidea amatymbica), an evil smelling plant is similarly used.
Diet as in fevers generally.
Memo. Owing to the practice of throwing refuse and excreta about the neighbourhood of kraals, this disease, as might be expected, often occurs in epidemics.
Anthrax. I-dila. A disease well-known to the natives, and treated by their doctors with great success.
It is contracted by the natives feeding on the meat of anthractuose cattle. So confident are the natives in their power to cure the disease, should it appear, that they have little hesitation in eating the infected meat; a fair proof of the success of their doctors’ practice. The procedure is this:—Generally speaking, be as early as possible, for should the pustule, which under their treatment should rise properly, be allowed by delay to subside, a native doctor will not undertake the case, as he considers it useless to do so. [[56]]
A decoction of two bacteria killing plants, and controlled by a sedative plant, is given internally in oft repeated doses. Externally a paste of the leaves of the same plants is put around, not on the pimples, to limit the local disease and prevent the inflammation spreading. The pustule itself is treated by dropping the juice of a sedative plant on it. It is left uncovered and freely exposed to the air, and the application made from time to time until the scab falls off. The Kaffir believes, and experience has been his guide, that the pustule must be left alone, and meddling with it, either by incision, excision or irritation is dangerous treatment.
1. Internally: The usual prescription is:—
Blepharis Capensis (Ubu-hlungu basigcawa) leaves and roots one part: Cluytia hirsuta (Ubuhlungu bedila), leaves one part and Monsonia ovata (Igqita), two parts. Use about 5oz. of this mixture made into a decoction of a pint and take about a tablespoonful 6–8 times daily till recovery.
2. Externally.
Blepharis Capensis 2 parts, Cluytia and Monsonia one part each. Rub up to paste with lard and apply all round the pustule. [[57]]
3. Locally.
i.e. On the pustule. The juice squeezed from the green leaves of Monsonia.
Withania somnifera (Ubu vumba) is sometimes used instead of Monsonia.
Another method sometimes adopted is to use the Cluytia alone. Administer an infusion, and apply a soft paste of the leaves all over the affected part.
Other drugs used are:—a Matricaria nigellœfolia, (Um-hlonyane womlambo) (river wormwood) used in the same way as the Cluytia.
b Xanthoxylon Capense, (um-Nungumabele) (wild cardamon), mostly taken as a condiment with the anthractuous beef to disinfect it.
c Teucrium Africanum (Ubu-hlungu benyushu) same as Xanthoxylon.
d Solanum nigrum, (Umsobo) and
e Lippia asperifolia, (in-Zinziniba).
These two last are risky and poisonous.
Malaria. Inkatazi tonizimba, a disease sent by dissatisfied ancestors.
Treatment. Sacrifices, singing, and dancing are practised round the sick to satisfy the ancestors.
Vomitives and purgatives are used and by some the Lasiosiphon Meisneri, one of the [[58]]“Snakebite” drugs is used, the dose being ½ oz. of the dried root taken as an infusion.
Malaria is not a prevalent disease amongst the Kaffirs owing principally to the fact that their kraals are always built on high ground.
B. CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES.
Syphilis. I-gcushiuva or I-hashe elingwevu (grey horse) to be distinguished from I-hashe (gonorrhoea) which latter is treated by fomentations and is not common.
The leaves of the Paramelia conspersa, (Ubu-lembu belitye) a lichen of very bitter taste, are used in infusion, and the dry powder used on the sores, or mixed with fat as an ointment.
In the same manner Cisampelos campensis or the Solanum melongena, (Um-tuma) or the Withania somnifera, (Ubu-vumba) may be used and are believed to have cured many cases.
The natives state that this disease was introduced by the white man, and certainly it is within the knowledge of many that even in the last twenty years its prevalence has greatly increased among the tribes, probably due to the common use of drinking and other utensils and the close and often overcrowded life led at night in the huts. [[59]]
Another undoubted cause of spread is the lewd practices which accompany, of late years, the ceremonies of Intonyane and Abakweta at puberty.
Leprosy. I-qenqa or In-Gqinda, said to be caused by suddenly seeing the Icanti in his natural form in the river. This suddenly seeing something is called “Ukwalama” and a person who has thus seen the Icanti must not talk until he has been doctored lest he take some disease such as the I-qenqa.
Some of the Kaffir doctors blame Hottentots (an altogether different race) for having introduced leprosy among them from the Cape Colony. It is certainly a disease of comparatively recent occurrence amongst the Kaffir.
Treatment. If seen in the early stages the leaves of the Umsolo omkulu, a plant found in marshy places, are bruised and boiled. The decoction is drunk and used as a lotion locally.
Under this treatment the sores are said to diminish or even disappear.
Note. From what I can gather the skin manifestations, are, as one would expect, confused with other skin diseases such as eczema psoriasis &c. [[60]]
Mortification. Uku fa (death.)
A case of spreading gangrene of the hand came under my notice which was treated by a Native doctor, my patient refusing resolutely to have the hand amputated. The method of his doctor was the following: In the floor of a small hut a hole was dug four feet deep by one foot diameter and this filled with soft dung, taken, warm from the intestine of an ox killed for that purpose. The patient was laid on his side and his arm fixed down in this hole where it was kept for ten days; the patient in the meantime being fed freely of the ox’s meat and soup, as well as being freely supplied with Kaffir beer. The doctor was practically continuously in attendance all the time. Result, gangrene stopped and spontaneous amputation at the seat of the disease, lower third of the forearm. He informed me that the bones stuck out when his arm was withdrawn and some sinews were adherent to the diseased hand. The bones were forcibly broken off and the sinews cut. When I saw the wound it was healing very slowly and he came to me to see if some salve would not heal it.
Gangrene of parts after accident, or foul sores are all treated with poultices, powder or [[61]]ointments made from the Um-sintsi (large Kaffir broom), Withania (Ubu-vumba) etc.
Scurvy is unknown to the native in his uncivilised state, and owing to the large proportion of his diet being vegetable, it must be of extremely rare occurrence.
Rheumatism, Gout. Isi-dlanga or in-dubula. These are not differentiated though fairly common, especially, however, amongst the natives who, owing to their going at times near the European villages, are forced to wear European costumes, usually terribly dilapidated. If called in-dubula it is supposed to be ideopathic, due to natural causes, and the name is that used to distinguish a small hairy insect, the patient feeling as if it were this insect gnawing at his joints.
Treatment: In these cases one of the “Amgqira Awokuqubula” is called in, and he, after rubbing etc., applies his mouth to the part and sucks out the disease, spitting out one of these insects as proof of his success. Or one of (Amagqira-awobulongo); cow-dung doctors, who applying his cow-dung poultice with much ceremony, will when removing it later, also produce an ocular proof of his [[62]]having got away the tormentor.
The Kaffirs have for generations been in the habit of using the leaves of the Um-gcunube (Salix Capensis) or Cape river willow for the cure of rheumatic pains. This is a curious fact, when one realizes that these leaves are rich in “Salicin” the very drug used as a specific in modern medicine.
Scrofula. I-hashe. This is a fairly common disease, looked upon as due to bad blood or weak parents.
Treatment: A very large variety of herbs is used by the Amagqira Awemiciza for this disease either as a paste to external manifestations or internally in infusion. The best known are:—
| Um-Bangandlela | —Heteromorpha arborescens |
| Um-Pafa | —Ziziphus mucronata |
| I-Yeza lehashe | —Bulbine asphodeloides |
| I-Rubuxa | —Pentanisia variabilis |
| Um-Sintsana | —Erythrina Humei |
| Um-Tumana | —Solanum Capense |
| I-Yeza lehashe (No. 2) | Thunbergia Capensis |
Each or all of these drugs, amongst others is used for I-hashe or if a running sore (I-quita) Scrofula, multiple running swellings, or enlarged glands. [[63]]
Cancer. Isi-hlava or Um-hlaza a name given to all sores that refuse to heal or continue to spread.
Mumps. Uqilikwana. The following curious practice is the only method of treatment I can find. The sufferer finds the burrow of a hare and stooping down, calls down the hole “Qilikwana! Qilikwana! Nika Kum” (Mumps! Mumps! get away from me) and then walks straight home without looking back. A cure follows in time!