Vol. II, part 1, l><s>(eJ JiiJtj 16th, 1009. 



ZULU MEDICINE AND .MEDICINE-MEN". 



Zulu Medicine and Medicine-men. 



By 



Rev. Allied T. Biyaiit, 



Natal. 



(1) Inteoduction. 



Although the Zulu native is sadly lacking- in the equipment 

 requisite for the civilised life, he is quite astonishingly learned 

 in the domain of his own environment. It is by no means an 

 exaggeration to affirm that comparatively the average Zulu 

 can ])oast of a larger share of pure scientific knowledge than 

 the average European. 



I suppose, if it were possible for us to go back to the dawn 

 of human intellect and to measure how much of intelligent 

 thought has been expended on each of the several branches 

 of mundane knowledge, we should find that probably by far 

 the greater part has been spent on the subject of medical 

 science. 



From the origin of primitive man on to the time when the 

 art of writing was invented marks one period in the history 

 of medical knowledge — the first dark period of unwritten 

 progress. And fi'om the days when Imhotpou, son of Ptah, 

 first wrote "soon after the creation" at Memphis, and 

 Hippocrates at Cos, on to these times of modern medicine 

 marks another, in which we still find ourselves. With this 

 latter period I am not here concerned, but I should like to 

 glance into that great book of unwritten lore, such as may 

 have existed among aboriginal peoples prior to the dawn of 



VOL. 2, PART 1. 1 



