74 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 188 



MEDICINE 



In 1955, Shonto people relied almost equally upon native medical 

 practice, and upon modem American medicine, as represented by the 

 Tuba City Hospital. Maternity cases, injuries, and all other emer- 

 gency conditions nearly always went to the hospital initially; often 

 to be followed up later by native ritual treatment. Infectious dis- 

 eases, and especially nonpainful conditions, were regularly submitted 

 to sings first, and only went to the hospital if the latter proved in- 

 effective, or upon recommendation of the singer. 



Admission records at Tuba City Hospital, which are incomplete, 

 show that at least one-half of Shonto's adults have been treated there 

 since 1950. Patients came about equally from both sexes, and pro- 

 portionately from all age groups. Among the patients were all but 

 one of Shonto's regular singers. Obstetrical cases accounted for the 

 largest number of admissions, with injuries second. Voluntary 

 entries for treatment of disease, including tuberculosis, were rare. 



Acceptance of American medicine has not resulted in any propor- 

 tionate decline in the frequency of Navaho sings at Shonto. In 

 actuality the two types of medical practice are not in effective com- 

 petition. It is very probable that Navaho "medicine" has never been 

 regarded as particularly effective in treating the types of conditions 

 which are now submitted to hospital treatment, and that singers 

 themselves are glad to be freed of responsibility for them. 



Repeated statements by anthropologists to the effect that the focus 

 of Navaho religion is upon the curing of disease (cf. Luomala, 1938, 

 p. 92 ; Leighton and Leighton, 1944, pp. 24-26 ; Kluckhohn and Leigh- 

 ton, 1946, pp. 164-167; Rapoport, 1954, p. 44) are not literally true. 

 Kluckholm and Leighton (1946, pp. 121-181), in particular, have 

 shown that Navaho ritual practice serves to rectify disharmonious 

 relations with the supernatural of every sort, of which conditions that 

 we term "disease" are only one manifestation. Consequently, even 

 the full acceptance of American medicine for disease and injury condi- 

 tions would leave a large residue of nonmedical cases to the care of the 

 singer. 



An adjustment more or less of this sort is manifest at Shonto. 

 White medicine has replaced or, more often, supplemented Navaho 

 practice in the areas where the latter was always weakest, with the 

 full approval of singers themselves. In addition, the fairly extensive 

 native materia medica (see Leighton and Leighton, 1944, p. 62; 

 Kluckhohn and Leighton, 1946, p. 164) has been largely supplanted by 

 patent remedies of all sorts bought from the trading post. Aspirin 

 and Alka- Seltzer, in particular, are universal panaceas ; many adults 

 take them every morning as preventives. Liniments and poultices 

 made from chewing tobacco are also widely applied. 



