﻿174 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  SHAMANISM, 
  MEDICINE, 
  AND 
  SURGERY 
  

  

  The 
  specialists 
  in 
  the 
  curing 
  of 
  disease 
  were 
  of 
  high 
  lineage 
  and 
  

   were 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  religious 
  institutions. 
  They 
  are 
  shown 
  

   attired 
  as 
  chiefs, 
  with 
  feline 
  attributes, 
  Women 
  also 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   entered 
  the 
  medical 
  or 
  shamanistic 
  profession, 
  and 
  are 
  shown 
  dressed 
  

   in 
  a 
  long 
  tunic 
  that 
  covers 
  them 
  from 
  head 
  to 
  feet. 
  

  

  They 
  believed 
  in 
  magic 
  and 
  witchcraft 
  in 
  the 
  curing 
  of 
  illness, 
  but 
  

   they 
  also 
  were 
  familiar 
  with 
  curative 
  herbs. 
  These 
  include: 
  habillas, 
  

   used 
  as 
  a 
  purgative; 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  cactus 
  that 
  produced 
  drunkenness; 
  

   ashangos; 
  and 
  numerous 
  other, 
  unidentified 
  herbs. 
  

  

  In 
  curing, 
  the 
  sick 
  man 
  lay 
  on 
  his 
  back, 
  and 
  the 
  specialist 
  sat 
  beside 
  

   him 
  praying, 
  chanting, 
  and 
  shaking 
  gourd 
  or 
  pottery 
  rattles. 
  The 
  

   curer 
  also 
  listened 
  to 
  and 
  manipulated 
  the 
  patient's 
  body. 
  The 
  

   shaman 
  is 
  always 
  portrayed 
  as 
  carrying 
  a 
  small 
  box 
  of 
  curatives. 
  

  

  In 
  surgery 
  these 
  people 
  knew 
  amputation, 
  cutting 
  off 
  the 
  feet, 
  legs, 
  

   arms, 
  hands, 
  lips, 
  nose, 
  and 
  male 
  genitalia. 
  For 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  

   tumors 
  (pi. 
  70, 
  i) 
  they 
  used 
  circular 
  knives. 
  In 
  amputating 
  arms 
  

   and 
  legs, 
  they 
  took 
  great 
  care 
  and 
  precision, 
  cutting 
  the 
  bone 
  at 
  a 
  

   level 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  flesh 
  incision 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  leave 
  a 
  healed 
  stump. 
  

  

  A 
  femur 
  and 
  ulna 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  which 
  show 
  a 
  perfectly 
  healed 
  

   fracture, 
  implying 
  that 
  they 
  knew 
  how 
  to 
  set 
  bones. 
  In 
  pottery 
  there 
  

   are 
  representations 
  of 
  simple 
  orthopedic 
  devices 
  designed 
  to 
  aid 
  

   those 
  who 
  had 
  lost 
  legs 
  or 
  feet. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  infirmities: 
  Idiocy; 
  harelip; 
  goitre; 
  

   clubfoot; 
  endematosis 
  of 
  the 
  face, 
  eyelids, 
  and 
  feet; 
  uta; 
  Pott's 
  dis- 
  

   ease; 
  luetic 
  facial 
  paralysis; 
  generalized 
  syphilis; 
  9 
  mixedema; 
  blind- 
  

   ness; 
  sarcoma; 
  and 
  smallpox. 
  

  

  Other 
  evidences 
  from 
  the 
  bones 
  themselves 
  indicate 
  osseous 
  tumors 
  

   and 
  syphilitic 
  softening 
  of 
  the 
  cranium. 
  

  

  A 
  fractured 
  skull 
  was 
  found 
  with 
  cicatrices 
  of 
  healing; 
  but 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  evidences 
  of 
  trephinization. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  interesting 
  examples, 
  in 
  pottery, 
  of 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  "Sia- 
  

   mese" 
  twins 
  of 
  two 
  types: 
  those 
  united 
  posteriorly 
  and 
  those 
  united 
  

   in 
  front. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  ceramic 
  representations 
  of 
  isolated 
  penises 
  and 
  of 
  

   erect 
  penises 
  on 
  individuals. 
  All 
  appear 
  without 
  prepuce, 
  indicating 
  

   that 
  the 
  Mochica, 
  in 
  general, 
  practiced 
  circumcision. 
  

  

  SEXUAL 
  PERVERSIONS 
  

  

  In 
  Mochica 
  pottery 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  representations 
  of 
  sexual 
  aber- 
  

   rations. 
  These 
  include: 
  Male 
  onanism; 
  female 
  masturbation 
  with 
  

   aid 
  of 
  an 
  artificial 
  instrument; 
  fellatio; 
  pederasty; 
  cunni-linctus; 
  

  

  • 
  See 
  volume 
  5, 
  Handbook 
  Of 
  South 
  American 
  Indians, 
  for 
  fuller 
  discussion 
  of 
  prehistoric 
  pathology 
  in 
  

   this 
  region.— 
  Editor. 
  

  

  