CHERAN: a sierra TARASCAN village — BEALS 



203 



are then covered with belladonna leaves. 

 Bruises are sometimes cured by splitting a 

 lizard and applying it to the injured place. 



Hernia is recognized as being from natural 

 causes through lifting heavy weights. One 

 curer treats the ailments with massage with 

 oils. The patient also takes medicine made by 

 collecting all the kinds of alcoholic drinks the 

 curer can find, such as charanda, sherry, etc., 

 and mixing them together. The patient takes 

 a third to a half cup of the mixture every 

 morning before breakfast. 



Headache, ep'amerani, is extremely common 

 and is ordinarily treated with home remedies. 

 A patch of some herb (or of adhesive plaster or 

 court plaster bought in the stores) is applied 

 to each temple. Some people wear these patches 

 almost constantly, especially some women. 



Bilis, bile, is one of the commonest diseases, 

 especially among children ; it also is one of the 

 most difficult to define. Often the vaguest of 

 symptoms are attributed to bilis. Lassitude, 

 especially in young persons, often is diagnosed 

 as bilis. According to one curer, however, the 

 patient turns yellow, seems tired, and develops 

 sores similar to those of smallpox. Three 

 causes are given for bilis, air in the stomach 

 from waiting too long for a meal, not getting 

 enough to eat and so getting air in the stomach, 

 and getting air in the stomach from any other 

 cause. Children are sometimes born with bilis 

 and are thought to become infected in the womb. 

 Treatments of bilis are vague. Flor de pila 

 well cooked with cinnamon, and given by the 

 teaspoon as a tonic, and an infusion of simonillo 

 are two remedies. Amargo (see below) is 

 another remedy. 



Stomach pains . are also regarded as being 

 caused by air, either hot or cold. Basa, a pain 

 on either side, is also caused by air, or by 

 drinking too much water. Espinocilla, a red- 

 flowered plant, is good for both these afflictions. 

 Nopal leaves are put on the soles of the feet 

 for too much heat in the stomach. (See below 

 for account of a cure of one of the members of 

 the staff.) 



Itch or mange, sarna, siita, is treated with 

 unguents purchased in the drug store, polvo 

 Juan and mercuric ointment. 



Heart trouble, latido de corazon, is recog- 

 nized from pains in the heart and by palpita- 



tions. There is a high fever, a cough, and 

 sometimes the patient spits blood. The patient 

 is rubbed with oil of seven different flowers, 

 bought in the drug store, and given an infusion 

 of sunflowers, spines from the tejecote tree, 

 prickly pear, chayote, and dry white and red 

 maize leaves. The infusion is taken several 

 times a day in place of water. The disease 

 may be caused if the person arrives somewhere 

 very agitated and drinks cold water or some- 

 thing cold, frcsca. One informant thought 

 eating lice was good for heart trouble. 



Piles, almorranas, are cured with a remedy 

 made with copper sulfate and lard washed with 

 vinegar, unguent of serato, and drying salve 

 (poniada secante) . One of the assistants was 

 told confidentially, and as a thing not to be 

 passed on, that cauterization with a hot iron 

 was also employed. 



Erysipelas, carapiti, appears with a high 

 fever, which increases. There is angry red 

 swelling and much pain. The cause given is 

 allowing the clothing to di-y on the body if one 

 becomes soaked; the disease is also an accom- 

 paniment of wounds. The patient is given a 

 cooked infusion of yerba de cancer and asked to 

 eat only milk, sago, and orange-leaf tea. 



Salmoneda is a disease of small children; 

 they fall down in fits. The cause is fright, 

 espanto, and the disease is cured by burning 

 copal and having the child inhale the smoke. 



Smallpox, kuarosikua, occurs every March. 

 There are 3 days of fever, 3 days of cough and 

 fever accompanied by breaking out of the 

 pustules, 3 days of feeding to regain strength. 

 After the sixth day the pustules begin to dry 

 up. Possibility of contagion from using the 

 same cup, spoon, etc., is recognized. The stage 

 accompanied by the cough is treated with 

 burro's milk (application not clear) and a com- 

 mon herb occurring on the streets, ('akua 

 perens. The latter is boiled and drunk instead 

 of water. 



Sarampion, measles, usually occurs in March 

 also and is regarded as much more dangerous 

 than smallpox (although this may be true, it 

 seems more likely that the identification of 

 di.seases is faulty). The patients get a red 

 rash, fever, and colds. An infusion of grape- 

 fruit (?) is used to bring out the rash; if the 

 rash does not come out the patient may not 



