Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-11
RY rHOMAS r. HENRY.

|. hi0hLnHderS based on reTlnTNaote
monograph just issued By the va
tiondl Academy Of Sciences
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
Medicine and magic are associated
closely in the culture of the Manooos,
While certain herbs are recognized as
heneficisI in certain diseases. Garvan
renorts if the patient does not RESPOND
Immediately a supernatural cause Is as
signed. Ever in the mind OF the SaNasS
is the dreaded "kometsn:
This NAV be defined" says Car
van "es a secret method by which
death NAV be superinduced in per-
son bv means either magical OF SO
secret that they may be looked upon %
magic. Thus it Is thought tnat oy
making a wooden manniEin TO represent
the victim and by mlstreatlng ~, LI,e
person it represents VIII IHnleulaoeiy
fall sick and die unless metnoos are
cmploved to neutralize the charm,
heard of a case where wooden inquire
was made to represent thief. IL was
tortured by sticking a boio INTO It's
head and after enough punishment was
administered TO have caused us oeatn'
If il had been p living thing, u was
buried amid much wsiling. l was toio
that the person whom it represented
was taken with lingering hiheSs
shortly afterward and died
"A piece of dead mans bone, pull
verified and put into the food, super
induces death in a few months. An
other reported kometan consists OF the
blood of a woman dried in the sun ana
exposed to the light of the moon. ms
is mixed with human hair cut very me.
Administered in the food it produces a
,, slow. lingering disease that leaos 10
the grave. 1t is said that after deatn
the hair reappesrs on Inc lips sno
nostrils. Human hair mixed WIN DTS
Of finrernails and powdered glass Is
said 70 he esnecially virulent. The
secret of compromising 1t is known only
to few"
Have Love Pbilter.
Like other primitive peoples, Caravan
relates the Manobos have their love
philter. The secret OF compromising II
is known only to few. II consists OF
wax made by small insect calieo Ine
kiut, mixed with the ashes oil various
trees. If little of the composlIion
placed on the dress of woman OF
racket of it attached to her girdle she
will fan in love with the man VINO
placed it there. There Is a similar
charm which is reputad to cause
aversion between former friends.
Notable among Manobo charms, as
reported by Garvan, are pezoar
stones" These he describes as DARK
colored. hard substances, varying IN size
from a pea to a chestnut, whlch are
said to be found in various Trees
plants. animals and hshes. 1hey are
essentially luck charms. There Is one
which is reputed to get person 10
place more quickly than his rival.
"Epidemics of cholera and small
nex" saws Garvan, ARE thought to be
due directly to evil spirits VINO orlng
the diseases from faraway sea haunts.
n is said that friendly dieties an
nounce from the lofty mountains tne
auproach of these pestiferous demons.
Thus I was assured by many that
Mount Tatamba gave out LOUD, DOOM
ing noise before the epidemic OF lyO5.
Those who live along the main rivers
scurry away on the approach OF con-
tagion into the depths Of the forest or
the hieh mountains. ] found one set
Element. more than year after the APP
pearance Of contagion. still ensconceo
in the heart Of forest few miles
awav from all water The streams are
Thought to be the high roads OF the
sea demons There are persons IN each
settlement who have seen these demons
in some monstrous form or other.
PropitiatiDg Plague Bearers.
"There is a special method Of pro-
pitiating these plague bearers. mite
raft is made of bamboo with plat
form of the same material raised sew
eral inches. Upon 1t is firmly lashed
a Young pig or a large white fowl ana
various other offerings. It is taken 10
the waters edge about sunset, the hour
when the mightiest Of the demons pc
gin their destructive march Here the
priest makes an address to the demon
Of the epidemic. The raft is then
launched in the water and allowed 10
follow the will of the current. No one
may touch il or approach 1t on Its
downward course, for II has become
foul by contact with its peStllentlal
owners"
Among natural remedies. tobacco
mice and the black residue found in
pipe ere considered the most effective
ointment for wounds. Saliva mixed
with betel nut is used for the same
purpose and also for pains in the
stomach For stomach pains the gall
OF a certain snake, mixed in water and
applied externally, is said to be very
eIncacious.
mo AMOUNT of persuasion" says
Garvan. will overcome the Manobo's
suspicious of European medicine until
the administrator of it takes the first
dose II is not prudent to offer it ex-
cept after long acquaintance. Once
administered small does of quinine 10
child suffering from fever. 1t died
the following day. The father, who had
requested me TO give the child some
medicine sent noe a few days later a
present of a chicken and about two
glassfuls of su7ar cane brew. and would
not except a reciproes tory gilt of beads
and jingle bells which / sent him. The
chicken and beverage were partaken OF
in due time. each of my servants drink
ing about half a glass of the liquor
The following morning awoke with the
sense of impending death. The servants
also complained OF an uneasy feeling
and one Of them suggested that we
might have been poisoned. A dos OF
ipecacuanhs saved our lives A diplo-
matte investigation revealed that the
man was an expert in poisons and that
the poison administered to me- in the
/ liquor was probably the root Of vine
used IN poisoning fish.
Fragrant flowers and redolent seeds
are thought to be very efflcacious for
the relief of headaches. fainting spells
and a peculiar diapllTam trouble. The
resin of the n1ap1lhai tree which is also