Malaysias bon1ohs

"To treat a mentally-ill young woman, the healer staged a kind of theatrical performance ln which her closest relatives and fellow-villagers each had a role to play"

BY JURGEN DAUTH

"The sky suddenly went dark Whether they are , Indians or soul and their lifegiving power known as and the jungle fell silent", a Por­ Chinese, whether Moslems, , semanganat. They have not the least ,.. ..,...,"'"'...,. tuguese seaman wrote nearly 200 Buddhists or Christians, all of them doubt that illness is caused by evil spirits. years ago, describing his first en­ remain to this day firmly rooted in the And only the bomoh has mastered their counter with a Malayan bomoh. belief in spirits, their influence on the tongue, can overcome them or can con­ The magic of these spiritual healers may jure up guardian spirits to take their not run to such extremes but, all the place. t The medical treatment undertaken by same, the people of the Malacca peninsu­ ~ ·~~~ la ascribe powers to the '' the bomoh invariably revolves around a bomohs which are still being demon­ exorcism. The bomoh hands out strated to this day, according to popular amulets against the "evil eye" or pre­ belief. Didn't a bomoh cause the hitherto scribes magic spells which are based on incessant monsoon rains to stop for a astrological lines and may be written on day at the request of the Ruler of Sara­ paper, the leaf of a plant or on leather wak? Didn't another invoke blazing sun­ hide. Texts and magic symbols may be shine for the open-air boxing match of taken from the Koran in the case of Mohammed Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) Moslems, while the Chinese Buddhists some three years ago, while rain poured and Taoists swear by the traditions of down in torrents all round the stadium? their homelands, and the Christians con­ The Malaysians are convinced that these tent themselves with reciting the Lord's things happened. Prayer backwards. However, Professor Paul Chen of the The bomoh may put a medium into a Medical Faculty of the University of trance in order to arrive at a diagnosis or Malaya foresees a more important he lets the illness declare itself from the sphere of influence for the traditional mouth of a hypnotised patient. Incanta­ medicine men. In his view the bomohs tory music on an instrument called a have always ha<;l an essential role to play game/an, dances and burnt offerings- in in the nation's health care, and he is con­ which the hair or finger-nails of the vinced that magic ritual and the psycho­ patient play a major role-complete the therapeutic understanding derived from ritual. it by the Malaysian medicine man, The enlightened student of medicine as well as his subtle knowledge of the may loftily dismiss all this ceremonial as healing powers of Nature, represent im­ Above: A M ...... prepares a so much charlatanry, but that would be portant contributions to medical science. herbaloffering to ward off evil spirits. too hasty a judgment. Because on closer Certainly will need its bomohs study black magic is seen as only a ght: A basis of practical knowledge un­ for some time to come, since at present derlies the spiritual healer!srulings on w superficial framework to prepare the only 2,350 modern physicians supply to .eat certain fruits wh!?n tfz~y '"ar. patient for the real medical treatment. It health care to the 12 million Malaysians forbidden-taboo. is precisely in this that Professor Chen while there are 20,000 practising bomohs . '"·"i sees the special advantage that the offering their services. (P 1f0j£. , bomohs have over the modern doctor.

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In Malaysia- as in most countries of propriate diets or physiology- for exert­ the blood.-pressure to make "bleeding" the world- the doctor hardly has the ing a favourable influence on the course unnecessary. time to concern himself about the psych­ of an illness. The tropical vegetation and tropical ic origins of many illnesses, and the top­ The modern practice of medicine in fauna, with their rich variety of forms, heavy doctor-patient relationship, gener­ Malaysia makes use of the bomoh as an are the sources of the bomoh's pharma­ ally speaking, permits only a scientific assistant at childbirth, for instance, often copoeia, and stocking it is based upon approach. Yet for a long time scientific in collaboration with a state-trained mid­ the knowledge handed down over the medicine has acknowledged that on its wife. And nobody would wish to deny centuries that for every poison in nature own it is incapable of getting to the root that the psychological attitude of the there is a natural antidote. of sickness. mother-to-be has great influence on the The sap of the mangrove trees serves The bomoh, on the other hand, says course of a " natural" childbirth. Individ­ as a remedy for bowel and stomach Professor Chen, lives in the village where ual bomohs are also entrusted with carry­ disorders, causing vomiting which he has inherited his skills from his fore­ ing out mass immunization and help purges the intestines. The betel-nut is fathers, and where he is a respected and the doctors with such tasks as smallpox prescribed for parasitic worms, and the trusted person. He is personally ac­ vaccination. dried roots of the pomegranate can quainted with every one of his fellow­ As regards operations, the bomoh strengthen this action. Pineapple juice is villagers and knows what goes on behind limits himself to ritual bleeding. Accord­ a remedy for indigestion and overeating. the scenes. He can make use of the ing to local belief, blood is the bearer of Skin eruptions, often originating from knowledge that a healthy body needs a the life force and must not be overbur­ poisonous plants or insect bites, can be healthy spirit in a way that few doctors dened. Thus opening an artery may be cleared up by the application of tea-oil. can. So long as belief in spirits is a fact of prescribed for headaches and vertigo; In rural areas, sexually transmitted life, it is useless to inveigh against magic either the skin is pierced or leeches are . diseases are very rare, yet even for these ritual. In any case, superstition is far applied. The bomoh obtains antiseptic the bomoh has a cure. Against syphilis from being confined only to developing preparations from extracts of plants or he may use the root of a certain legumi­ countries- it maintains a clandestine from the poison sacs of certain sea-fish. nous plant which he calls " hantu" or hold even among the crews of moon­ Painkilling potions can be distilled from spirit. The remedy for gonorrhoea bound spaceships. the areka-n ut, better known as the betel­ sounds rather more drastic ; a certain On the East coast of Malaysia I watch­ nut. The right dose of poison taken from green beetle is made into a powder and ed an exorcism of evil spirits carried out one particular fish can sufficiently lower added to the patient's food . Even more on a well-born but mentally disturbed surprising for the scientist is the cure for young woman. The bomoh had staged a toothache in children: a hair from the kind of theatrical production in which tail of an elephant. Against rheumatism, the woman's closest relatives and her the Dayaks of Malaysian Borneo insist, fellow-villagers each had roles to play. It the best remedy is tiger-fat. was noteworthy that the actors in this For sure, religious motives are in­ little play had to demonstrate warm af­ volved for declaring certain plants taboo fection for the patient. Embraces, friend­ and forbidding the combination of cer­ ly gestures and tender caresses were tain foods, but there can be no doubt much in evidence. The play took on an that here too there is a basis of practical increasingly frenetic character with knowledge. Thus mangoes are not eaten dance-like movements, until those taking with sugar, nor water-melons with honey part fell into a trance and finally reached nor heart of -palm with shellfish total physical exhaustion. The coaxing of or oysters. Such combinations are the evil spirit which had caused the ill­ viewed as poisonous or at least highly ness with an offering of food until it . indigestible. Beef, mutton, mangoes and could be caught in a container and pumpkins are to be avoided in cases of packed off on a "journey without fever, eye diseases or gonorrhoea, while return" down the river was merely a eggs and milk are recommended. On the ritual appendage. The young woman was other hand, eggs, dried fish and brown now considered to be cured. I heard that sugar are stricken from the menu in the the bomoh had passed the whole of the case of bronchial troubles. And "the previous day before the ceremony in the worm of night blindness" rises to the house of her family so as to "get in touch eyes if one eats only sweet potatoes or with the spirit". Only in its outward bananas. Vitamin A deficiency can be appearance does this treatment differ Above: Before applying the healing power avoided by a special diet of fish , mutton of his hands, the bomoh tells his patients to from what is accepted in the industria­ breathe deeply and then puts them into a or liver. lized world as group therapy under ex­ trance. Many more examples could be given pensive psychiatrists. of the bomoh's pharmacopoeia. In Pro­ The bomoh also works extensively Right: A healer shows off his - the fessor Chen's opinion it contains many with taboos which are invested with source of his magic powers. So long as hidden virtues which amount to the magic powers. Certain foods are forbid­ belief in spirits is a fact of life, it is useless stored-up knowledge of an entire chemis­ den, the physical stresses on the patient to inveigh against magic ritual. After all, try laboratory. Closer study of this could are limited or specific are used to superstition is far from being confined only be of value to modern medicine, once soothe his nerves. This too is a very to developing countries; it is to be met with one discounts the special links with the practical means- among simple people even among the crews ofspaceships heading supernatural; yet this too may have its for the moon! (Photos WHO/I. Dauth) who know little of modern hygiene, ap- psychological advantages. •

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