XII, B, 6 Gomez: Mohammedan Medical Practice 265 



also recognize small parasites, cagau, which they frequently see 

 in the common itch (scabies) . 



The practice called tauacal is often done in order to find the 

 cause of the disease in regard to customs, promises, and oaths, 

 deducing at the same time the method of treatment. An egg 

 is divided in five equal areas radiating from the smaller end, 

 and on the areas thus outlined the following words are marked : 

 asal, sapa, panaman, samayd, and um/ur, as shown below: 



-Pinhole 

 Panaman 



— Sap4 



Fig. 1. The smaller end of the egg- 



The egg is arranged in a coconut shell so as to stand up straight, 

 a pinhole is made at the center of its smaller end, and after 

 praying God to indicate the true nature of the disease, a piece 

 of burning charcoal is applied at the bottom of the egg. The 

 heat dilates the air space of the egg and expels some of its 

 contents, and according to the area in which they are spilt, the 

 cause of the disease is indicated. In the area of asal the patient 

 is sick because he forgot to follow some of the customs of his 

 ancestors, such as praying, giving alms, etc. ; in sapa the patient 

 did not fulfill an oath taken on the Koran ; in panaman he failed 

 to fulfill an unspoken promise; in samaya he failed to fulfill a 

 spoken promise; in umur the cause of the disease may be any- 

 thing, but the patient will irremissibly die. 



Some panditas believe that there is a different cause for the 

 diseases according to the day of the week such a disease began. 

 A disease beginning on Sunday is caused by the devil ; a disease 

 beginning on Monday is caused by the wind; on Tuesday, by 

 water ; on Wednesday, by the sun ; on Thursday, by hunger ; on 

 Friday, by an agent acting while one is asleep ; and on Saturday, 

 by an internal wound. 



Satan and the rest of the devils and ghosts are credited' with 

 other diseases, the so-called tinembas sa busau, which are intense 

 internal pains, such as colic, supposed to be internal wounds 

 produced by the devil by striking a person with a leaf of cogon 

 or with the midrib of a buri or coconut leaf, but which makes 

 no marks on the outside. 



Development of disease in one person through the spiritual 

 agency or incantations of another, papapantac (analogous to 

 the mancuculam of Luzon), is commonly believed. The people 



