MANANGISM IN BORNEO. 
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HERE all rational conception of the causes of 
fo} disease and of medicine is entirely absent, magi- 
Qe cal ceremonies, incantations, pretensions to su- 
pernatural powers in the cure of the sick have 
the whole field before them; whilst fear and anxiety in 
cases of illness lead to aneager credulity which clutches at 
any projected means of cure, however absurd in themselves : 
hence among the lower races of mankind, the medicine man 
is an important personage and as indispensable to the well- 
being of Society. The Dyaks of Borneo are no excep- 
tion ; they have their “‘ Manangs.” And as these are not 
reluctant to communicate their medical beliefs, and as their 
belief is also the belief of the Dyaks generally, it is not diffi- 
cult to set down a general view of their theories, as well as 
their practices. The peculiar attribute of the Manang is the 
possession of mysterious powers rather than special know- 
ledge. 
“But though the Manang function is procured for all serious 
ailments, yet the treatment of the sick ig not confined to it. 
Dyaks use a few simples as outward applications, things 
composed for the most part of leaves of plants. The betel- 
nut and pepper leaf mixture is also used as an outward ap- 
plication for almost any malady. Some man, supposed to 
be lucky, is called in; he chews a quantity of this hot and 
stimulant mixture in his mouth, leans over the body, and 
squirts the saliva over the affected part, and gently rubs it 
in with his fingers. Dyaks in a burning fever with acute 
headache will be seen with their foreheads smeared over 
with it. And this dirty mess is supposed to possess great 
virtue in promoting the growth of newly born children, whose 
bodies, up to acertain age, are half covered with daily applica- 
tions of it by their mothers. Other unprofessional modes of 
