192 BULLETIN, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE [Vol. 19 



To these five primitive concepts of disease must be added the modern 

 germ theory of disease as introduced by the whites. The germ theory, al- 

 though often not properly understood, is still taken cognizance of by an 

 increasing number of people due to the influence of the Government hos- 

 pital, and the schools. A health education program consisting of movies on 

 such subjects as tuberculosis and post-natal care of children has been at- 

 tempted by the hospital, and undoubtedly has had some effect in illustrating 

 certain aspects of the germ theory such as the importance of cleanliness 

 and vaccination. 



The older people dichotomize between Indian diseases and white man's 

 diseases, and will openly admit that Indian cures are ineffective against white 

 man's diseases, and point out that the white man can do nothing about 

 certain Indian diseases. Thus it is not regarded as incongruous that even 

 a medicine-man seek treatment in the hospital for such maladies as tuber- 

 culosis, smallpox, or cancer. This distinction, however, does not mean that 

 both methods may not be employed to effect a cure. In fact it is quite 

 common for people to try the hospital first, and upon failure of that method, 

 to resort to Indian treatment, or vice versa. For example, Mrs. J. B. had her 

 son leave a tuberculosis sanitorium in Chicago to come back to the reserva- 

 tion where she hired a shaman to put on a shaking-tent ceremony to find a 

 cure. On the other hand, I was called upon to drive a Mide priest to the 

 hospital for the removal of a tumor after a variety of native cures had been 

 attempted. In most cases the theory of disease merely determines the order 

 of treatment, and a person with partial paralysis will first seek to learn who 

 is magically poisoning him and then to employ counter-magic to effect a cure. 

 Upon failure of that he might end up at the hospital. 



The effect of the impact of the germ theory then has been that there is 

 one more added threat to the health of the community, and among the 

 more acculturated members of the tribe it has already superseded in im- 

 portance the native etiologies. 



4. PREOCCUPATION WITH HEALTH AS EVIDENCED 



BY THE VARIETY OF NATIVE PROTECTIVE 



AND CURATIVE TECHNIQUES 



To combat such a formidable array of disease-causing phenomena the 

 Chippewa have devised a formidable array of curative devices. The imposing 



