﻿570 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  after 
  which 
  the 
  patient 
  breathes 
  on 
  it 
  three 
  times. 
  The 
  guinea 
  pig 
  

   is 
  then 
  cut 
  open 
  and 
  examined; 
  any 
  defective 
  organs 
  indicate 
  which 
  

   of 
  the 
  patient's 
  organs 
  are 
  diseased. 
  In 
  a 
  similar 
  diagnosis, 
  an 
  uniden- 
  

   tified 
  mineral 
  called 
  qolpa 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  patient's 
  body, 
  

   burned, 
  and 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  disease 
  divined 
  from 
  its 
  remains. 
  A 
  third 
  

   technique 
  involves 
  a 
  mineral 
  (milu, 
  largely 
  alum) 
  which 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  

   the 
  patient's 
  urine 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  In 
  Chucuito, 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  qo 
  l 
  asiri, 
  both 
  of 
  whom 
  are 
  middle- 
  

   aged 
  men. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  individuals 
  learned 
  to 
  cure 
  from 
  his 
  father, 
  

   while 
  the 
  other 
  learned 
  from 
  his 
  paternal 
  uncle. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  diagnosis, 
  the 
  doctor 
  may 
  cure 
  with 
  various 
  medicines. 
  

   The 
  disease, 
  if 
  due 
  to 
  evil 
  spirits, 
  may 
  be 
  transferred 
  magically 
  to 
  the 
  

   object 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  diagnosis, 
  which 
  is 
  then 
  either 
  destroyed 
  or 
  returned 
  

   to 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  evil, 
  or 
  the 
  disease 
  may 
  be 
  magically 
  sent 
  away. 
  

   The 
  patient 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  lie 
  down 
  on 
  a 
  blanket 
  which 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  

   food, 
  clothing, 
  and 
  valuables, 
  after 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  washed 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  objects 
  deposited 
  near 
  a 
  river; 
  whoever 
  carries 
  away 
  

   these 
  also 
  carries 
  away 
  the 
  disease. 
  Formerly, 
  in 
  the 
  event 
  of 
  an 
  

   epidemic, 
  a 
  black 
  llama 
  was 
  loaded 
  with 
  the 
  clothing 
  of 
  the 
  infected 
  

   person 
  and 
  driven 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  to 
  carry 
  away 
  the 
  disease 
  (Forbes, 
  

   1870, 
  p. 
  45). 
  

  

  Doctors 
  also 
  administer 
  emetics 
  and 
  cathartics 
  but 
  use 
  no 
  enemas. 
  

   Herbs 
  are 
  given 
  to 
  speed 
  difficult 
  births 
  and 
  to 
  shorten 
  menstrual 
  

   periods. 
  Sprains 
  and 
  dislocations 
  are 
  massaged 
  with 
  chewed 
  coca. 
  

   While 
  bloodletting 
  is 
  occasionally 
  practiced, 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  of 
  Spanish 
  

   introduction 
  (Bandelier, 
  ms.), 
  

  

  Surgery 
  today 
  is 
  simple; 
  amputation 
  is 
  not 
  practiced, 
  nor 
  teeth 
  

   extracted. 
  Broken 
  bones 
  are 
  set 
  in 
  many 
  thin 
  splints. 
  Formerly, 
  

   the 
  Aymara 
  successfully 
  trepanned 
  crania 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  relieve 
  depressed 
  

   skull 
  fractures, 
  although 
  this 
  practice 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  obsolete 
  today. 
  

   If 
  the 
  patient 
  is 
  in 
  pain, 
  he 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  drink 
  himself 
  into 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  

   insensibility 
  and 
  to 
  chew 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  coca 
  for 
  its 
  anesthetic 
  effect 
  , 
  

  

  MYTHOLOGY 
  

  

  Only 
  fragments 
  of 
  formal 
  myths 
  survive 
  today, 
  numerous 
  and 
  

   varied 
  folk 
  tales, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  deal 
  with 
  animals, 
  being 
  more 
  com- 
  

   mon. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  miracle 
  tales 
  and 
  ghost 
  stories 
  of 
  Spanish 
  origin 
  

   are 
  also 
  related. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Viracocha 
  legend 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  variations. 
  The 
  principal 
  

   theme 
  states 
  that 
  Viracocha 
  rose 
  from 
  Lake 
  Titicaca, 
  created 
  the 
  

   earth, 
  sky, 
  and 
  man, 
  and 
  then 
  resubmerged. 
  Later, 
  because 
  man 
  

   was 
  disobedient, 
  he 
  reappeared 
  and 
  led 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  Tiahuanaco, 
  

   where 
  he 
  turned 
  the 
  wicked 
  ones 
  into 
  stone. 
  Then 
  he 
  created 
  the 
  

   sun, 
  moon, 
  and 
  stars, 
  because 
  man 
  had 
  previously 
  lived 
  in 
  darkness. 
  

   Often 
  confounded 
  with 
  Viracocha 
  is 
  Thunnupa, 
  a 
  bearded 
  White 
  man 
  

  

  