﻿moonky 
  THEORY 
  OF 
  DISEASE. 
  323 
  

  

  red 
  fleshy 
  stalks 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  purslane 
  or 
  duckweed 
  (Portulaca 
  

   oleracea), 
  because 
  these 
  stalks 
  somewhat 
  resemble 
  worms 
  and 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  must 
  have 
  some 
  occult 
  influence 
  over 
  worms. 
  Hero 
  the 
  

   chickweed 
  is 
  a 
  fetich 
  precisely 
  us 
  is 
  the 
  flint 
  arrow 
  head 
  which 
  is 
  put 
  

   into 
  the 
  same 
  decoction, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  mysterious 
  man- 
  

   ner 
  its 
  sharp 
  cutting 
  qualities 
  may 
  lie 
  communicated 
  to 
  the 
  liquid 
  

   and 
  enable 
  it 
  to 
  cut 
  the 
  worms 
  into 
  pieces. 
  In 
  like 
  manner, 
  bilious- 
  

   ness 
  is 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  dalanl 
  or 
  "yellow, 
  - 
  ' 
  because 
  the 
  

   most 
  apparent 
  symptom 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  the 
  vomiting 
  by 
  the 
  patient 
  

   of 
  the 
  yellow 
  bile, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  doctor 
  selects 
  for 
  the 
  deci 
  iction 
  four 
  

   different 
  herbs, 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  also 
  called 
  dalani, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   color 
  of 
  the 
  root, 
  stalk, 
  or 
  flower. 
  The 
  same 
  idea 
  is 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  

   the 
  tabu 
  which 
  generally 
  accompanies 
  the 
  treatment. 
  Thus 
  a 
  scrof- 
  

   ulous 
  patient 
  must 
  abstain 
  from 
  eating 
  the 
  meat 
  of 
  a 
  turkey, 
  because 
  

   the 
  fleshy 
  dewlap 
  which 
  depends 
  from 
  its 
  throat 
  somewhat 
  resembles 
  

   an 
  inflamed 
  scrofulous 
  eruption. 
  On 
  killing 
  a 
  deer 
  the 
  hunter 
  

   always 
  makes 
  an 
  incision 
  in 
  the 
  hind 
  quarter 
  and 
  removes 
  the 
  ham- 
  

   string, 
  because 
  this 
  tendon, 
  when 
  severed, 
  draws 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  flesh; 
  

   ergo, 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  should 
  unfortunately 
  partake 
  of 
  the 
  hamstring 
  

   would 
  find 
  his 
  limbs 
  draw 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner. 
  

  

  There 
  can 
  be 
  uo 
  doubt 
  that 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  a 
  haphazard 
  use 
  of 
  

   plants 
  would 
  naturally 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  that 
  certain 
  herbs 
  are 
  

   eflicacious 
  in 
  certain 
  combinations 
  of 
  symptoms. 
  These 
  plants 
  would 
  

   thus 
  come 
  into 
  more 
  frequent 
  use 
  and 
  finally 
  would 
  obtain 
  general 
  

   recognition 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  materia 
  medica. 
  By 
  such 
  a 
  process 
  of 
  

   evolution 
  an 
  empiric 
  system 
  of 
  medicine 
  has 
  grown 
  up 
  among 
  the 
  

   Cherokees, 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  treat 
  some 
  classes 
  of 
  ailments 
  

   with 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  success, 
  although 
  without 
  any 
  intelligent 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  involved. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  our 
  own 
  

   medical 
  system 
  has 
  its 
  remote 
  origin 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  mythic 
  conception 
  

   of 
  disease, 
  and 
  that 
  within 
  two 
  hundred 
  years 
  judicial 
  courts 
  have 
  

   condemned 
  women 
  to 
  be 
  burned 
  to 
  death 
  for 
  producing 
  sickness 
  by 
  

   spells 
  and 
  incantations, 
  while 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  our 
  faith- 
  

   cure 
  professors 
  reap 
  their 
  richest 
  harvest 
  among 
  people 
  commonly 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  intelligent 
  classes. 
  In 
  the 
  treatment 
  of 
  

   wounds 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  doctors 
  exhibit 
  a 
  considerable 
  degree 
  of 
  skill, 
  

   but 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  any 
  internal 
  ailment 
  is 
  concerned 
  the 
  average 
  farmer's 
  

   wife 
  is 
  worth 
  all 
  the 
  doctors 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  tribe. 
  

  

  The 
  faith 
  of 
  the 
  patient 
  has 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  his 
  recovery, 
  for 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  implicit 
  confidence 
  in 
  the 
  shaman 
  that 
  a 
  child 
  

   has 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  intelligent 
  physician. 
  The 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  prayers 
  

   are 
  well 
  calculated 
  to 
  inspire 
  this 
  feeling, 
  and 
  theeffect 
  thus 
  produced 
  

   upon 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  sick 
  man 
  undoubtedly 
  reacts 
  favorably 
  upon 
  

   his 
  physical 
  organization. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  list 
  of 
  twenty 
  plants 
  used 
  in 
  Cherokee 
  practice 
  

   will 
  give 
  a 
  better 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  their 
  medical 
  knowledge 
  than 
  

  

  