48 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANATOMICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL 



and asking his opinion concerning them, as it had been alleged by 

 some native doctor that they were witches. The commandant found 

 it best to give his opinion at once, to the effect that though he saw no 

 signs of witchcraft about the women, yet there was something about 

 the husbands which led him to think that it was highly probable that 

 they themselves were supernatural. By doing this, he transferred 

 the charge to the husbands, who, being quite convinced that they 

 were not afflicted, gave the matter up, and no further trouble occurred. 

 Supposing it is decided that there is no question of witchcraft 

 about the person's sickness, or supposing that having thrown the 

 bones, the Kaffir doctor is unable to decide whether there is a witch 

 in the case at all, he falls back on the use of drugs, and a second form of 

 medical man is called in. He also throws the bones to decide which 

 form of drug will be most suitable for the treatment of the patient. 

 He possesses a number of stock medicines, many of which are undoubt- 

 edly very useful, while others are not. The chief medicines employed 

 are : the leaves of a tree used in the treatment of malarial fever (the 

 identity of this plant is very carefully concealed by the Kaffir doc- 

 tors) ; a plant used to bring back the milk in women Hlafunamaas ; 

 the juice of the Cashew (supposed to be antisyphilitic, and the plant 

 was probably introduced into the country from South America by the 

 Portuguese) ; a plant used for bladder trouble Umramgala Umgubo ; 

 the root of Umkunga used as an abortifacient (the practice of 

 abortion being very common, the native possessing several medicines 

 which produce this effect, and also resorting to mechanical methods). 

 Isolation Camps for the Sick. These are huts or shelters which 

 are built in the bush for the sick whom the native doctor has decided 

 should not be permitted to live in the common kraal. Patients are 

 sent to these places for one of two reasons : firstly, in cases in which 

 the native doctor thinks a person is suffering from an infectious disease 

 and is therefore a source of danger to the general community ; and, 

 secondly, in cases in which a doctor thinks that the native is so ill that 

 his life would be endangered if a witch were to look upon him. In 

 the latter case, he is removed for his own safety, so that he will not 



