Ancient Science of Life, Vol No. VI No. 2 October 1986, Pages 97 - 106

COPPER VESSEL, MAGIC AND DISEASE

FRANZ – HELMUT RICHTER AND GABRIELE THOSS

Wilhelm – Hauff Str. 18, 1000 Berlin 41, West - Germany

Received: 20 March 1986 Accepted: 28 May, 1986 ABSTRACT: The use of a copper vessel as a magic and a medical aid in South Indian Folkmedicine is described. The authors discuss its relation to the neglected external treatments of and the use of cupping glasses in West Germany. With this article they want to rise the interest in a comparative study of the different medical systems and to emphasize the use of the external treatments in Siddha Medicine, which are rarely practiced today.

Getting into contact

It was already dark when we arrived at a town on the east shore of Tamil Nadu that Treatment itself was free. evening. Our bus stopped in front of a big temple, where a busy life was still going on. The old Siddha physician was sitting behind Pilgrims were rushing towards the temple, a a big table in the middle of the room. He smell of incense was in the air. Drums and interrupted the treatment of a patient to trumpets announced the appearance of Lord welcome us. After he had finished he Murugan’s statue, slowly moved by pilgrims openly discussed all of our questions. But at on a bright golden shining wagon. one point in our talk he smiled and made a little diffuse hand movement, obviously Near by the temple there was a small clinic somewhat baffled and shy. run by Siddha physicians for many generations past. Economically this clinic In this moment of uncertainty a village belongs to the temple, initiated for the social woman who had come as a patient and welfare of the community. watched the scene for a while, grasped the situation and began to explain our question, We entered the clinic and hoped that the enjoying presenting her knowledge. Siddha physician could answer some of our questions regarding Siddha Medicine. The Not only this, she also gave a small room was divided by two benches, a demonstration of two healing methods woman’s and a man’s section. On the left which are widely used by housewives in side stood the life size statue of a Siddha . saint, of about one and a half meters height. Behind this was a table with all kinds of Several times we experienced similar medicine bottles and boxes. On the bench situations at different places during the was a money box for donations, given by the several months journey through Tamil Nadu. patients to the temple. We made this journey to gather some basic

Pages 97 - 106 knowledge about the Siddha system and boiling water will then be thrown away and South Indian folk medicine. the hot empty pot placed quickly with its opening on a water plate. A healing ritual While the water is sucked, the patient has to The first method demonstrated appeared to knock with his hand on the pot three times us to be similar to shamanistic healing and has also to say his name three times. rituals, deeply connected to the magic methods of “tristi kalippu”, which means Once we also saw that three different herbs according to our informants something like: were mixed with a handful of crystal salt “avoidence of evil sight”. The method itself and added to the water in the plate. (1) is called “cempu karru pitippu” or “muccu pitippu” by the village people. The variations of how to perform this healing ritual are many and need not be The patient’s body is wiped from head to enumerated here. The day to day use of foot with a piece of white cotton. Then the these methods shows us that it is indeed a cotton is moved around the patient’s head living folk medicine. (2) three times. Afterwards the piece of cloth is burned inside a brass or copper vessel A Medical treatment (cempu). While the cloth is still burning the vessel is place upside down on a plate filled A second method of treatment which we with water. The fire inside creates a vacuum want to describe in this context is also with a bubbling sound. known as “karru pitippu” in Tamil Nadu. For this treatment a piece of cloth burning This rituals is performed for patients who inside a copper vessel is also used. But here are effected by evil sight (tristi) and the the vessel is directly applied to the skin of belief is that the evil spirit is caught in the the patient, sucking skin and tissue. It is vessel. After the vessel has been kept for believed that the patient is relieved from too twelve hours, the water and the rest of the much air in his body, so it is mainly used for cloth are thrown away out of the house. “gas troubles”, flatulence etc. It also has the effect of decreasing pain and can directly be During our months stay in Tamil Nadu, we applied on the affected area, mainly on the found several variations of this healing ritual patient’s back. The housewives often hold though the basic idea was always the same : the opinion that the vessel will only suck the liberation of the patient from an evil properly if the patient really suffers from sight and is effect by evacuating a vessel and “gas troubles”. It would not work in healthy placing it with its opening on a plate of persons. water thus allowing the vessel to suck the water with a gurgling noise. During treatment the vessel should not be removed from the patient’s body by force. As an example of the different variations of It will fall down by itself after some time. performing this ritual the use of an earthen The vessel can be applied for sucking pot instead of a copper vessel can be several times until the pain subsides. mentioned. Instead of evacuating it with the According to Practioners of this method, it is burning cloth the earthen pot is filled with a sign of cure when the vessel does not suck water and heated over an open fire. The anymore after several applications. (3)

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sight” – and undertake some precautions In this treatment, too we found several such as the placing of a puppet in front of variations; some people said that they use a his house. Or somebody who is having a drinking glass instead of a copper vessel. In good meal fears the jealous view of the some cases the vessel was evacuated with hungry. burning straw or even burning camphor tablets which are available for devotional This is described by other authors similarly, purposes in Hindu households. (4) e.g. by O. P. Jaggi; Folk medicine: “It is believed almost all over the world, more so However, the basic principle was always the among the tribal people in India, that some same, that is, producing a vacuum in a individuals have the faculty to cast a spell on vessel to draw in the skin and underlying others by just looking at them. Some do it tissue. So far we have described two involuntarily at whoever comes in their path, methods of South Indian folk medicine, a others do it voluntarily because they are healing ritual and a medical treatment, both jealous of others and desire to possess what called “karru pitippu”. In both, the main others have… and as they cast the evil eye, instrument is the vessel and the main the person or the thing faces misfortune. principle is “sucking”. In this paper we The thing may perish, the person may get ill follow this connection and view both or more often have an accident”.(5) treatment in one context. We offer another quotations from S. M. L. The evil sight Lakshmanan Chettiar; Folklore of Tamil Nadu : The healing rituals is mainly a performance to free somebody from “tristi”, i.e. the “If a person is eating all by himself, while a affection of an “evil sight”. The fear of hungry one is looking at him, he will get a being affected by “evil sight”. The fear of stomach – ache. The evil eye is said to be being affected by “evil sight” plays a great more effective and destructive among role in South Indian life and there are a lot Jealous agriculturists.”(6) of different practices to avoid it. Our informants explained, for example, that In all cases the fear of an evil sight is an somebody who is building a new house fears expression of a hidden social and individual the jealous thoughts of others and their “evil conflict, i.e. an unconscious feeling of guilt

Pages 97 - 106 towards the social community (or a certain On the other hand, this ritual releases the person) and the fear of Jealousy. community from social pressure and its performance allows the individual to neglect So, the performance of the described ritual social rules or even to break social taboos. frees the patient from the fear of Jealousy For example, it allows somebody to spend without having to change or analyse his his money for his own sake and not for the unconscious feelings of guilt. (7) poor in the community.

The cupping method.

While the healing reminds us of shamanistic performances or magic, the second method But as the cupping method is medical is a true medical treatment in which the treatment which can be found in several vessel is directly applied on the affected or classical systems of : painful area of the body. This treatment is what is its relationship to Siddha Medicine, widely known as “cupping” in English. which we consider as the classical system of South India? Wherever this method was demonstrated to us it was obvious that only women were able Some of the Siddha physicians we met to perform it correctly. While women were clearly stated that the cupping method is not very serious and concentrated, the man a part of Siddha Medicine, whereas others joked and could often only be provoked to regarded it as one of the external Siddha do some mock demonstration which they treatments. Indeed, it is dealt with in some initiated in an over eager but careless way. recent articles as “muccu kalayam” wrongly As we saw cupping in villages mainly and interpreted as application of heat and practiced by house – wives with simple therefore compared to of medical understanding, we came to the Chinese medicine.(8) conclusion that it is a practice of South Indian folk medicine. But in relation to the thermostimulus, the effect of “sucking” in this method is more At the borderline between folk medicine important. And there is no need to compare and Siddha system the South Indian “muccukalayam” to

Pages 97 - 106 Chinese moxibustion, as the cupping method Before that we have to emphasize again that itself is known in Chinese medicine. the cupping method is used in nearly all traditional medical systems, in Chinese, It is obvious that the cupping method is one Tibetan, Indian, and even African medicine. the borderline between South Indian folk It is also known that it was already medicine and the Siddha system today; there developed among the ancient Greek and seems to be some difficulty in integrating it even the Egyptian people. We believe that within the scope of Siddha treatments. the cupping method belongs to the oldest medical practices of the world. Its use An ancient list enumerates 64 different kinds reaches back to what is called “Demonic of Siddha and treatments. They Medicine”. The healer or the shaman of are divided into 32 kinds of internal those times sucked the evil spirit out of the medicines (akamaruntukal) and 32 forms of possessed patient. He is doing so even external treatments (puramaruntukal). (9) today, sucking the patient’s skin directly with his mouth, with the help of a bamboo Among these 32 forms of external tube, or a horn, or any other item. Later on, treatments we find particularly bloodletting, in the period of classical systems of cauterization, colonic irrigation, leech traditional medicine, the cupping method application and others. was still used but with different interpretations. It was not the demon or the These are the same or at least similar in all evil spirit anymore which had to be sucked classical systems of traditional medicine all out. Disease was interpreted as a over the world and are intended to purify the disturbance of the equilibrium of the body by supporting its natural ability to microcosmic forces and matters in man, and expel the bad and toxic body fluids. so the cupping method was used during this period to suck out the bad and toxic body In this very context, also, the cupping fluids and matters. Within this theoretical method is practiced all over the world and context the cupping vessel is still used in when we compare its medical use, we nearly all classical systems of traditional conclude that the South Indian muccu medicine.(10) pitippu method should find its place among the external treatments of Siddha Medicine. It is not only the body fluid which is And, astonishingly, one of the 32 external expelled by this treatment, the microcosmic treatments in Siddha system is urincal which principles of “phlegm”, “bile”, “blood”, and can be translated as “sucking”. “wind” are also influenced in this way.

Unfortunately, the research on Siddha Today we use the cupping method in Medicine of the last decades has Germany based mainly on the theory of concentrated on the internal medicines only . and the external treatments are widely running out of use. The theory of reflexology does not deal with microcosmic forces or body fluids at all. Looking at the history The idea behind reflexology is that inner organs are reflected on the surfaces of the In the following we want to shift the interest body, the skin and the muscles, for example. regarding cupping from India to Germany.

Pages 97 - 106 Thus we know certain areas and point on the sucking the bad humours, and today the skin which are connected with certain inner effect of cupping is often interpreted as a organs - If one of those organs is affected, strong stimulation of the skin which reflects the related area may be painful, red, or tight. the inner organs. Tender, swollen, jelly – like knots may also be present. In this context we want to stress that the basic method of applying the cupping We apply cupping glasses on such places to glasses has remained surprisingly constant treat the inner organs as well as the painful throughout the centuries, whereas the area of the surface of the body. In short, in interpretation of its effect changed its long history the cupping method was completely. initially used as magic. Later it was used for

Interpretations and applications of cupping vessels found today

Modern trends in :

Sucking of particular areas on the skin according to reflexology in order to stimulate related inner organs.

Traditional medical systems:

Sucking of toxic body fluids to balance the microcosmic forces in man

“Demonic Medicine”

Sucking of evil spirits to liberate the possessed patient

Fig.3

This is a striking phenomenon in the which both philosophers and physicians have to think about, but it cannot be discussed here in depth. We recognize, Cupping method in West – Germany. however, that the specific model of medical interpretations is less important in the As a main medical system in West Germany evolution of history than is the living we find what is called unfortunately, experience of its value as a treatment. “modern”, or “western” medicine, or even just “allopathy”.

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We have also a few medical practitioners 1. A small piece of cotton wool is twirled (“”) who know by experience around a “cotton carrier”, dipped into a or by tradition different ways to heal such as Petri – dish of spirit (or alcohol) and lit. chiropractice, herbal treatment, baths, The flame is shortly induced into the plasters, leech application and also, as one glass which is held upside down and among many others, . immediately placed on the affected area of the skin. A typical example of these is the use of cupping glasses which we call “schroepfen”. 2. The second method is practiced mainly while the patient is sitting. A piece of We use several special glasses with different cotton wool is dipped into spirit and shapes and different sizes. Some are fixed inside the glass. The cotton swab connected with a rubber ball for creating the is lit and the glass is immediately placed vacuum. Amongst the various ways used to on the affected area of the skin. evacuate the glasses, the use of fire is the preferable one. It is cheap and simple, it 3. The third method is more difficult and warms the glasses for the conduct of the has the strongest sucking effect. One or patient and it creates a sufficient vacuum for two drops alcohol are placed in the glass. the treatment. When the patient watches the The glass is shaken slowly with a practitioner handling the fire element with circular movement so that a thin film of elegance, there is a positive psychological alcohol covers the inside of the glass. effect as well. Afterwards the “glass” is lit and There are three main methods used to immediately placed on the skin of the evacuate the glasses with fire: patient.

Different shapes and sizes of glasses were All these methods seem to be very easy to developed for special purposes of treatment. perform and they are indeed so. One common example is the milk pump Nevertheless, it takes some training and which is used by mothers to extract the concentration not to burn the skin of patient. breast milk.

Pages 97 - 106 Another example is the “Roeder – Set” has already been applied. The edges of the (named after the inventor), which consists of glass are especially thick and round so that it several long, narrow, tube – like glasses will not harm the patient’s body. used to suck the pus from the infected Furthermore, the shape should allow a tonsils directly through the opened mouth. comfortable handling for the practitioner. Cupping massage is very appealing to the A special glass is used also for massaging. patient and has a strong reflexive effect on Here the sucking glass is moved slowly on the internal organs. the back of the patient where massage – oil

Finally we want to mention a combination of the cupping method with blood letting. In The described examples of different types the treatment the skin of the patient is and techniques of cupping show that it is an punctured slightly with a needle or a lancet elaborate medical treatment. And, in fact, to cause bleeding. Then a cupping glass is the cupping method and its specialized placed on it to suck out the blood. The forms of applications are used today only be indications for this treatment are nearly the medical practitioners and a few physicians, same as for blood letting. but rarely by laymen.

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The cupping method, as it is practised in The two aspects can also be found in the Germany today, should not be considered Tamil word karru which includes the harm nor heal. Beyond the danger of meanings of “air”, “breath”, and “wind” as burning the patient’s skin, there are exact well as “evil spirit” and demon according to indications as well as contraindications as in the well known dictionary of T. V. each and every treatment. A sound Sambasivam Pillai. (11) knowledge of the theory and practice of reflexology is, of course, essential for the The cupping method is practiced to day in correct use of cupping glasses on the reflex South India at a borderline between folk – zones. medicine and the Siddha system and is related to both. If the practitioner chooses a wrong area for cupping, he may, for instance, cause an We tried to show that it has to be considered abortion in a pregnant woman. And as as a medical treatment as it is comparable to another example, it is totally forbidden to the elaborate cupping methods of other cut directly above the processes of the spinal countries, for instance of West Germany. vertebrae for the bleeding – cupping method. We hope that the cupping method will increase in usage and find its place among When the cupping method is performed the external treatments of Siddha Medicine. correctly and with concentration it is a And, as the cupping method is only one harmless and effective treatment. We have examples of these, we want to stress further provided here an explanation of the that the external treatments of Siddha techniques of cupping, but is not within the Medicine should be rediscovered developed, scope of this paper to describe the and practiced much more in future. underlying principles of reflexology in detail. When we finally look back on our We do not consider any traditional system of experiences in South Inida, we find that medicine as something “petrified” or rigid, many of the well educated Siddha as something which should be learned physicians look down upon this valuable medicine has an old heritage which has to be treatment. The credit for its preservation revived again and again by each generation. goes to the village women and the house And it needs not only to be learned but to be wives of South India who continue to critically developed. There is nothing in the practice this method. traditional medicine which is not also worthy of critique! Conclusions The comparison of the various classical Initially a South Indian healing ritual and a systems of medicine shows that a lot of medical treatment were described, both knowledge about methods and treatments known among the villages people as “karru were exchanged repeatedly from one pitippu”. Both, the magical and the medical country to another. And instead of claiming aspects can also be found in the cupping again and again that “our own system” is the methods of other countries in their oldest and the best one from which all development from so called “Demonic medical systems of others borrowed, - Medicine” to classical systems. instead of repeating this, we should accept

Pages 97 - 106 that all classical systems developed in one compare and exchange our different ideas historical context as they all were borrowing and methods of medicine. and stealing knowledge wherever necessary and from wherever possible. Since we should not only research history but also fact the future, we hope that our The similarities of all traditional systems, small example of a comparative study on and more so, the numerous early historical cupping methods in South India and West – reports of traveling physicians and the early Germany will inspire the search for new translations of old medical books proves that paths between our various traditions in the medical systems never developed totally medicine. independent from each other, nor are any really unique! Finally we would like to say that we are happy about what we have learned about the This might astonish some of the physicians South Indian cupping method from the who confuse reported stories about the village women. Also we want to thank all genesis of their traditional system with Siddha physicians who supported our history. studies.

The chronicles of medical systems Annotations and References traditionally date their origin back to times immemorial or to the unique teaching of a 1. The three herbs are called kuppai meni or a god. However, we should merely (Acalipha Indica, Linn), murunkai regard these stories as testaments of deep (Moringa oleifera, Lam.; respect for the , not Hyperanthamoringa), and mukkarattai necessarily as definite historical events. (Boerhavia diffusa, Linn.; B. erecta; B. Furthermore, the believe in a divine origin repens). created over the centuries a feeling of urgent obligation in man to preserve and fully pass 2. This rituals can also be found as part of on this knowledge. We should thus regard the wedding ceremony among the such reports as what they are, “story”, but Hindus in Tamil Nadu. The described not “history”! healing ritual is called “karru pitippu” by the village people, which is a word for Whether the cupping method was practiced an illness in its very sense. It is also in the traditional Siddha system or not, we called “muccu pitippu” and “muccu wish to stress that it fits to the external kalayam”. treatments of Siddha Medicine. As cupping is only an example of one of these, we hope 3. We noticed that in the some cases the that all the external treatments will receive vessel was not applied on the skin more attention. properly so that there was no “sucking effect”. However, the women concluded The ancient physicians have broadened their that the patient did not suffer from “gas knowledge not only by meditation, troubles” and that he might suffer from experience and roading the old texts, but another diseases, or that he has been also by learning from foreign countries. We cured by the previous application of the should use our opportunities today to cupping vessel.

Pages 97 - 106 4. Another variation of this method is given proof for such questionable statements by O. P. Jaggi, in : History of Science that moxibustion (and even ) and Technology in India, Folk Medicine: was originally developed in the South two photographs of this method are Indian Siddha system and brought to shown with the following note: “Pain in China later on. Concerning this point we the abdomen is being treated by placing have to criticize the works of Thiru N. a lighted diya (lamp) over the abdomen Kandaswamy Pillai and Prof. R. and placing an inverted earthen pot over Kumaraswamy. Although we respect that”. them as among the first comparative studies on traditional medical systems 5. O. P. Jaggi: History of Science and with regard to Siddha medicine. Technology in India, Vol.3, Folk Medicine, Delhi, page 64. (1973). N. Kandaswamy Pillai: History of Siddha Medicine, Madras 1979, page 96: 6. S. M. L. Lakshmanan Chettiar: Folklore “Another method of Siddha therapy still of Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, page 69. in vogue is moxa. This involves placing (1973). small cones of combustible material on the skin directly over the diseased organ 7. One could regard these methods as a and igniting them. The patient remains kind of psychotherapy. But unlike immobile until these have finished western psychoanalysis, unconscious burning. A blister and later a scar are feelings are not analyzed and brought to formed on the skin. Favourite sites for consciousness. Here, the healer treats moxibustion are the abdomen, back and the patient within the framework of his pre-auricular areas of the face. This unconscious projections. Indian method survives in folk medicine, of psychoanalysist Sudhir Kakar has Tamil Nadu under the name of written an interesting book discussing “Muchukkalayam”. (Cf. also page 7 of the relationship of these different kinds this book). R. Kumaraswamy: of psychotherapy. Correlative Studies on Tamil and Chinese Medicines, in : S. V. 8. Comparing the following quotations Subramanian (et al) : Heritage of the with our description, it will become clear . Siddha Medicine, Madras 1983, that muccu kalayam has no relation to page 639: “Moxaclinics are as popular as Chinese moxibustion. It seems that the the acupuncture clinics in the overseas authors do not really know the practice countries. Surprisingly this treatment of muccu kalyam in South Indian folk when investigated turns out to be South medicine. Even the small explanation of Indian in origin especially from the tail muccu kalayam given in the dictionary end of Tamil Nadu. It is corroborated of T. V. Sambasivam Pillai states clearly through ethnomedical evidence that that the cupping method or the healing moxatherapy is nothing but a modified ritual is meant, not moxibustion. version of moochchukalayam based on Furthermore we could not find any the thermostimulus treatment given to medical treatment in Siddha system or the nerve endings at the acupuncture South Indian folk medicine which is a sites of the lumbar and abdominal direct correlation to Chinese points…” moxibustion. Until now there is no

Pages 97 - 106 9. Cf. for example: A. Suresh; G. similarly a mild form of treatment. A Veluchamy: Surgery in Siddha System, cow – horn with a small piece of cloth in: S. V. Subramanian (et al): Heritage bound round the pointed end is used for of the Tamils, Siddha Medicine, Madras this purpose, or a hollow calabash in 1983 – K. Parthasarathy : Intricacy of which a burning wick is placed. Siddha Pharmacy, in : Seyal, Mention is also made of mere Tamil – English Health Monthly, Vol. 9, scarification (Lekhana, prachana) No.12, 1984; Vol. 10, No. 5 -10, (1984 without the use of a sucking instrument & 1985). (S. S. 1. 13)”.

10. P. Kutumbiah mentions in ‘Ancient 11. Cf. T. V. Sambasivam Pillai Tamil Indian Medicine’ the cupping method English dictionary of Medicine, practiced with the help of a cow – born Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences, or a calabash in connection with blood Madras, Vol. II, Page 1420 (1931). letting, page 162: “Cupping of blood is

LITERATURE

Abele, Ulrich: Stiefvater, Erich W: Die Aschner – Fiebel, Haug – Verlag (West – Germany) (1984).

Abele, Ulrich. Lehrbuch der Schroepfkopfbehandlung, Haug – Verlag (West Germany) (1982).

Bachmann, Gerhard; Pecker, Friedrich : Die Schropfbehandlung, Haug – Verlag (West – Germany) (1980)

Jaggi, O. P. : History of Science and Technology; Vol. 3, Folk Medicine, Delhi (1973).

Kakar, Sudhir : Schamanen, Heilige and Arzte, Biederstein – Verlag (West – Germany) (1984) – This book was published in India before.

Kandaswamy Pillai, N : History of Siddha Medicine, Madras (1979).

Kumaraswamy, R : Correlative Studies on Tamil and Chinese Medicines, in : S. V. Subramanian (et al) : Heritage of the Tamils, Siddha Medicine, Madras (1983)

Kutumbiah, P : Ancient Indian Medicine, Madras (1962).

Lakshmanan Chettiar, S. M. L : Folklore of Tamil Nadu, Delhi (1973).

Parthasarathy, K: Intricacy of SIddha Pharmacy, in : Siddhar Seyal, Tamil English Health Monthly, Madras – Vol. 9, No. 12, (1984) and Vol. 10, No. 5 – 10, (1985).

Richter, Hannes; Richter, Franz – Helmut : Einfuehrung in einige Ausleitungsverfahren der Naturheilkunde, Muenster (1985).

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Sambasivam Pillai, T. V. : Tamil – English dictionary of Medicine Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences, Madras (1931).

Suresh, A.: Veluchamy, G : Surgery in Siddha System, in : S. V. Subramanian (et al) : Heritage of the Tamils, Siddha Medicine, Madras (1983).

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