CHAPTEE II 



THE WORK OP THE BOMOB IN RELATION TO CLINICAL 

 MEDICINE 



Clinical medicine was closely allied with the for- 

 bidden sciences in the popular creed of the Middle 

 Ages, and Magic maintains its hold firmly to-day in 

 the Far East, In Malaya its practice has come down 

 to the Malays, not only from a very conservative behef 

 in ancient folklore, subsequently ingrafted with Indian 

 mythology and Arabian quasi-science, but it still 

 definitely persists as a part of their primitive reUgion, 

 which was pure nature worship and consequently 

 spirit worship* The original beliefs of the Malay were 

 animistic and saw souls in trees and rocks and every 

 living thing, sermons in stones, books in the r mining 

 brooks.*' Then came the influence of Brahmanism 

 with its magical precepts and hymn charms, which the 

 Malay " medicine-man " kept secret. Finally Islam, 

 coming from India 600 years ago, brought him the Sufi 

 mysticism, which some suggest has been derived ulti- 

 mately from Neo-Platonism. 



The Bom or .—Malays of all classes still respect the 

 " medicine-man " : it is still his business to give advice 

 in matters of sorcery ; to propitiate devils, to chide or 

 coax evil spirits as occasion seems to demand, and to 

 prescribe taboo for everyday hfe. His vocation survives 

 in the common practice of magic by incantation (jampi, 

 jampi) and in the not uncommon performance, in 

 Kelantan, of Main PSiSrij or the practice of the Black 

 Art in raising spirits. He compromises himself to-day 



