Some of them devote their attention to one disease or to some small group of maladies, and by close observation and long experience, as also by benefitting by transmitted and traditional knowledge, they acquire fame as specialists and experts in the cure of disease; and people send for them, or go to them from great distances, and often reward them very liberally if they be successful.
It is not uncommon for the isanuse (witch doctor) to practice also as an igqira elemicisa (herb doctor).
As a witch doctor he administers emetics (see later) which have no relation to the healing art, but as a herb doctor he acts on the same principles as the others do and may be skilful as [[50]]such. He is at any rate not more grossly inconsistent than the Roman augurs were.
D. THE RAIN DOCTOR.
Igqira elesebe. The term elesebe (who is of isebe) is derived from “isebe” a bird, this bird being the being from which the doctor is supposed to receive the rain.
A doctor who has passed his initiation (ukutwasa) is supposed to have communication with things in the water, or with wild animals; but this individual claims to hold communication with a bird.
There are birds well-known, which by their actions or calls indicate the approach of rain; thus we have Egyptian vulture; the turkey buzzard which does so by its “booming” and the South African rain bird by its call “bok—ma—keri.”
Some men of great natural observing powers are skilful in weather signs and probably the rain doctors are no fools in this respect, and hold off with various excuses when their natural barometer stands at “very dry.” [[51]]