﻿312 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  which 
  lasted 
  for 
  2 
  days 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  31; 
  Acosta, 
  1940, 
  

   bk. 
  5, 
  ch. 
  28). 
  

  

  Disease 
  and 
  curing. 
  — 
  In 
  Inca 
  belief, 
  all 
  disease 
  had 
  supernatural 
  

   causes, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  cured 
  by 
  religious 
  and 
  magical 
  means. 
  Even 
  

   herbal 
  medicines 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  magical 
  reasons, 
  rather 
  than 
  from 
  any 
  

   understanding 
  of 
  physiological 
  processes. 
  Consequently, 
  curing 
  was 
  a 
  

   very 
  important 
  part 
  of 
  Inca 
  religion 
  and 
  an 
  important 
  cultural 
  interest. 
  

  

  Disease 
  might 
  be 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  following: 
  Supernatural 
  beings 
  

   angered 
  by 
  sin 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  neglect 
  of 
  their 
  cult; 
  the 
  magic 
  of 
  sorcerers 
  

   hired 
  by 
  a 
  man's 
  human 
  enemies; 
  exposure 
  to 
  evil 
  spiritual 
  forces 
  

   which 
  were 
  believed 
  to 
  reside 
  in 
  certain 
  springs 
  or 
  wind; 
  or 
  the 
  loss 
  

   of 
  one's 
  soul 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  sudden 
  fright. 
  Sickness 
  might 
  take 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  a 
  foreign 
  object 
  lodged 
  in 
  the 
  body, 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  organs, 
  

   or 
  poison, 
  or 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  simply 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  magical 
  influence. 
  

  

  An 
  enormous 
  variety 
  of 
  wild 
  plants 
  and 
  plant 
  products 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  

   medicines; 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  probable 
  that 
  every 
  plant 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   was 
  believed 
  to 
  have 
  magical 
  power 
  either 
  to 
  cause 
  or 
  to 
  cure 
  disease. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  their 
  uses 
  are 
  listed 
  by 
  Cobo 
  (1890-95, 
  bks. 
  4- 
  

   6), 
  and 
  the 
  extensive 
  survivals 
  of 
  this 
  belief 
  have 
  been 
  partially 
  

   studied 
  by 
  modern 
  Peruvian 
  botanists 
  (Herrera, 
  1940). 
  Other 
  sub- 
  

   stances 
  used 
  in 
  cures 
  were 
  maize 
  flour, 
  guinea 
  pig 
  fat, 
  amulets, 
  and 
  the 
  

   variety 
  of 
  odd 
  objects 
  which 
  were 
  the 
  stock 
  in 
  trade 
  of 
  Inca 
  sorcerers. 
  

   (See 
  below.) 
  

  

  The 
  curers 
  were 
  called 
  hampi-kamayoq, 
  "medicine 
  specialists," 
  

   kamasqa, 
  "cured," 
  sonqoyoq, 
  "heart 
  men," 
  etc. 
  The 
  general 
  word 
  for 
  

   sickness 
  was 
  o^qoy. 
  A 
  curer 
  was 
  usually 
  a 
  diviner 
  as 
  well, 
  and 
  might 
  

   practice 
  black 
  magic 
  in 
  secret; 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  rigid 
  divisions 
  between 
  

   such 
  functions. 
  Curing 
  power 
  was 
  usually 
  acquired 
  either 
  in 
  a 
  vision 
  

   or 
  by 
  making 
  an 
  unusually 
  quick 
  recovery 
  from 
  severe 
  illness 
  (whence 
  

   the 
  name 
  kamasqa, 
  "cured," 
  applied 
  to 
  such 
  practitioners). 
  In 
  the 
  

   vision, 
  a 
  being 
  usually 
  appeared 
  in 
  human 
  form 
  and 
  gave 
  the 
  sleeper 
  

   the 
  necessary 
  instruments 
  and 
  instructions 
  along 
  with 
  power 
  to 
  use 
  

   them. 
  Before 
  treating 
  a 
  patient, 
  the 
  curer 
  made 
  a 
  sacrifice 
  to 
  his 
  

   vision. 
  

  

  Professional 
  midwives 
  got 
  their 
  power 
  either 
  through 
  a 
  similar 
  

   vision 
  or 
  by 
  bearing 
  twins 
  and 
  going 
  through 
  an 
  elaborate 
  series 
  of 
  

   fasts 
  and 
  ceremonies. 
  They 
  massaged 
  pregnant 
  women 
  to 
  straighten 
  

   out 
  the 
  fetus, 
  and 
  could 
  produce 
  abortions 
  for 
  a 
  price. 
  

  

  Broken 
  bones 
  and 
  dislocations 
  resulted 
  from 
  the 
  anger 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  

   spirit 
  which 
  controlled 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  the 
  accident 
  occurred, 
  and 
  the 
  

   curer 
  made 
  repeated 
  sacrifices 
  there 
  as 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  treat- 
  

   ment. 
  

  

  P 
  When 
  a 
  sick 
  man 
  summoned 
  a 
  curer, 
  the 
  latter 
  first 
  sacrificed 
  to 
  his 
  

   vision, 
  and 
  then 
  determined 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  by 
  divination. 
  If 
  

   the 
  sickness 
  resulted 
  from 
  neglect 
  of 
  worship, 
  the 
  curer 
  made 
  several 
  

  

  