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 He informed me that the bones stuck out when his arm was withdrawn and some sinews were adherent to the diseased hand.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.