134 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY— PUBLICATION NO. 



niost people are said to die. Tlie reason for this is 

 said to be that the world has revolved on its a.xis with 

 the effect that at midnight in Aloche everyone there 

 is hanging head downward, a position which upsets 

 the normal functions of the body and weakens it. 

 The bodily system is at its best just before dawn, 

 between 3 a. m. and 4 a. m. At this time one can 

 do his best work, especially intellectually, a belief 

 which reinforces the early rising pattern of the 

 Mocheros and coastal cliolos in general. (It is 

 superfluous to point out that this early morning 

 period is the time when most deaths occur among 

 ourselves and when the body forces are at their 

 lowest. ) 



UMBILICAL HERNIA OR QUEBR.-\DUR.\ 



Qncbradura. or umbilical hernia in infants, is re- 

 garded as a serious condition which must be corrected 

 before the child is 2 years of age at the oldest. It 

 is believed to be caused if either a pregnant or 

 menstruating visitor to the house picks up the child 

 in her arms. This will produce "cmpuje," a strain- 

 ing and cougliing of a particular type which induces 

 qncbradura. Treatment may be given any day of the 

 week and proceeds as follows, to describe one of 

 several treatments I have witnessed. Tiie mother 

 brings the child to the house of the curandcra, bring- 

 ing along a pad of white surgical cotton previously 

 purchased in a pharmacy. The curandcra then goes 

 with the mother and child to the house of a woman 

 in whose garden grows a higaron tree. This woman 

 charges 50 centavos for the use of the tree. Some 

 twigs are broken so that they exude a white, sticky 

 sap, which turns brown after a period of exposure 

 to the air and which has a strong astringent action 

 on the skin. Curing takes place in the open air in 

 the hucrta itself. It is also possible for the mother 

 to obtain the twigs previously and for the cure to 

 take place in the house of the curing woman. A flat 

 pad of white cotton about 4 by 6 inches in size is 

 thoroughly moistened on one side with the higaron 

 juice. A hole about 2 inches in diameter is made 

 in the center of the pad, which is then placed, moist 

 side down, on the child's abdomen, so that the um- 

 bilicus appears through the perforation. Then the 

 curer massages and pushes down the protruding 

 umbilicus with her index finger so that a reflex con- 

 traction of the muscles of the abdominal wall is 

 produced and the umbilicus retracts somewhat. Then 

 she pours into the umbilical depression about a table- 

 spoonful of a white powder made from the feces of 



the small lizard. This is a secret remedy not made 

 known to the client. Then strips and tufts of 

 moistened cotton are stuck onto the reinaining surface 

 of the abdomen in more or less haphazard fashion. 

 Next, a pad of moistened white cotton is placed over 

 ihc uml'ilicus itself, but only after it has been thor- 

 oughly smoked in the incense of San Mcrio, pro- 

 duced by sprinkling this powder over live coals in 

 a plate. Then a binding of cotton cloth is wrapped 

 around the abdomen two or three times and tied to- 

 gether tightly in front. Usually three treatments 

 are given, one every other day. Then the binding 

 is kept in place for 15 days. When it is removed, 

 if the hernia is not well reduced, a final treatment 



INGUINAL HERNIA OR ESTIRADURA 



The curing woman cures inguinal hernia, involving 

 descent of the hernia into the testicles, as follows. 

 The condition is called eslirudura, and treatment may 

 be given any day of the week. A pomade is made 

 of ccbo de macho and menthol with which the groi;: 

 is first thoroughly massaged. Then the testicles 

 (compaiiones), with the penis protruding, are -placed 

 in a suspensory bandage made of unbleached cotton 

 cloth, together with a paste made of matica and 

 compana. Xext, the testicles are mas.saged gently 

 until the hernia is drawn up. The suspensory 

 bandage is tightened. Then a pad of white surgical 

 cotton well moistened with higaron is placed over 

 the lower abdomen or groin, and another on the small 

 of the back, and the two are bandaged firmly into 

 place with cloth which is also wrapped around the 

 suspensory bandage, with the penis left protruding. 

 The whole produces a fairly firm truss. Several 

 men of the community tell me that they have been 

 cured in this manner. One treatment is said to suf- 

 fice in some cases, several treatments in others. In 

 the latter case, the bandage is removed and treat- 

 ment repeated about once a week. 



DISLOCATION OF THE RIBS OR TRONCHADURA 

 DEL PECHO 



Troiicliadiira del pcclio usually occurs in children 

 or infants. In the cases I have seen a lump appears 

 on the chest near the sternum. One has the im- 

 pression that it may be bowing or enlargement of 

 the heads of the ribs due, possibly, to rickets, but 

 the local explanation is that the head of a rib has 

 slipped out of its articulation with the sternum. 



