The times., 1901-05-05
SUPERSTITION And DISEASE
The Development of Medicine From
the Earliest Ages.
A New Section Established at the Na-
tionsI Observation-Disclosures Once Re
garded rs the work of MaIevoIent
Spirits-The V0odoo of the Negro.

| A New Section Established at the Na-
| tionaI Museum-AiImcntsO Once Re-
garded as the Work of MaIevoIent
Spirits-The V0Odoo of the Negro
| The twentieth century starts in with
| a burden of Superstitions which has been
| carried upon the backs of proceeding
| cycles. Happily, however, the tendency
| has always been to drop part OF the
load on the chronological journey until
| each succeeding century enters upon its
| career with a lighter burden than the
| one which Immediately preceded it, The
pathway of time is thus strewn here and
there, with superstitional derelicts which
| once moved the minds of our ancestors to
a marvellous extent and which are now
objects of delight to the antiquarian and
| of curiosity to the casual observer.
| The development historically of the sci
ence of medicine, from the earliest times
to the present day, is a work which is
| engaging the attention and enthusiasm
/ of DR.. James NJ. Flint of this city. He
| has established a section in the National
| Museum under the head of Magic Med
| icine and has collected from various parts
| OF the world number of curious and
interesting objects which were used, and
| in some instances, are still employed, as
| agents to prevent and combat disease
A brief glance at the various stages
| of medical knowledge from the earliest
| times TO the present will be interesting
and best shown in the various theories
of disease entertained by those of past
eras. In the beginning man looked upon
disease IS a malevolent spirit assuming
material form, either animal or plant,
which attacked its victims with or with
out provocation. This was the primitive
conception. When man first began to
think and seek to learn the nature of
the world about him, he personified every
thing. Stone, mountain forest, water,
sky. and earth to him were endowed
with a spirit and material form like
himself. 1t was. therefore, but natural
that his primitive mind should personify
disease as a malevolent spirit Another
early conception was that disease was
spirit, not necessarily malevolent, acting
at the suggestion of some human energy
possessing supernatural powers. Such is
sorcery, witchcraft. conjury, etc, prac-
ticed by savage and half-civilized peo-
pies.
Another conception in vogue among
semi-civilized people was that dis
ease is caused by some an
gered spirit of the dead either of animals
or plants. more modern view of the
causation of disease fourished in Asia
and Europe during the Middle Ages and
still has its votaries at the present day
This was that disease is due to the influ-
ence Of planets and other heavenly bodies
and is the foundation for the so-called
science of astrology. This was the medi-
cal belief among the Arabians and was
persistent in Europe, during the seven
teenth century Still another theory was
entertained by the Persians and Chinese.
This makes disease due to variations in
the relative activity of two controlling
principles of life, heat and moisture, or
the YIN and Yung'' of the Chinese. AT
a later period disease was regarded as
due TO disturbance of the relative pro-
portions of distribution OF the fluids or
humors of the body. such as the blood,
phlegm bile etc This doctrine was
taught by the Greek authorities, Hippo
crates and Galen. They were of the HUI
moralist school of medicine. A more
modern idea of the cause of disease
ascribed il to the abnermal activity of dy-
manic or vital forces represented by such
authorities as -Athenactis. Paracelsus, and
the Empricsts. This brings us down to
smodern medicine which defines the cause
of disease as due to various and complex
notifications of normal structure and
function from environment or inherent
tendencies.
Magic medicine is the pretence art of
producing supernatural effects by bring
ing into play the action of supernatural
or spiritual beings, departed spirits or OF
the occult powers OF nature Its appilca-
tion to the treatment of disease is magic
medicine. The agents may be gods or
demons, disembodied spirits of men, ami
mails, plans or minerals, or may be oc-
cult influences residing in or exerted
objects These
agents or influences are brought into ac-
tion by inyocations, incantations, or cere-
monials of various kinds. In so far as
these magic arts promise physiological
and remedial effects, which they undoubt-
edly sometimes do. they might be classi
fed under the head of psychic medicine,
the mental state aroused by form of
belief in the efficacy causing notifications
of physiological function and even tissue
change Magic medicine is especially
characteristic of earlier stages of human
development when all natural forces were
personified and disease and death were
believed to be caused by malignant spir-
The voodoo Hoodoo, Obi or Obeah is a
species of magic art or sorcery practiced
by the African negroes and continued to
some extent by their descendants in the
West Indies and the United States. These
are amulets or talismans and are usually
bones, hair, teeth, feathers, bits of wood,
etc. a common one is made up of chick
en- feathers human hair. a drop of blood
on a bit of rag, and a pine silver. All are
tied together and sewed in piece OF
shirting. These hoodoo amulets were worn
around the neck as preventive medicine
cure-all or as protection against some
other hoodOo. 1t is common form among
the negroes of the South.
An extremely ingenious conception of a
superstitious nature has relation to the
form of objects as determining what parts
of the human anatomy will be affected for
good by these objects when administered
as medicine. That is TO say, If, for in
stance, a plant has flower, leaf,
root or fruit which resembles in its form
some part of the human anatomy, such
plant part would be prescribed for all
diseases affecting the anatomy which it
resembled This resemblance TO the hu-
man anatomy was called by its deVotees
signatures" CroSsius, one of the earlier
writers on this subject, says:
The virtues of vegetables are known
by their signatures. What plant hath the
signature OF the parts of any animal, the
same profiteth those parts and eXpels the
diseases of those parts 1t represents.
Plants which resemble the form of an
eye are salubrtous and healing TO the
eye. as eyetight marigold. sempervlvium,
and starwort. Plants which have the re- |
semblance to the head are cephalique, |
thus walnuts have the physiognomy of
the whole brain, hence the nut; with
spirits of wine, applied to the head pow
erfully comforteth the brain. Herbs |
which in leaf or root bear the signature
of the liver do much concur TO good !
and concoctlonfo OF plood ana help |
the indrmities thereof as the herb liver /
wort trinity, agarick, figs, etc. Plants |
having the physiognomN OF brute animals |
are available to the cure OF those mala- !
dies caused by these creatures whose sig
natures they bear, as the herb dragon or /
Greater Serpentarian, against the biting |
of serpents: bagwort against the stlnglng |
of bees The herb Fleabope, having the |
signature of vermin, causeth heas to avoid
the room re---@d
This idea in medicine was at one time, |