Faith in the Medicine Man.
It is interesting to know what attitude the medicine man inspires in his patients. On this point some valuable data are at hand as to both ancient and modern times. Especially valuable is the testimony of those men who have made recent close studies at first hand and put themselves in a position to observe the healer at his work.'
Berdoe (4) points out that in ancient Greece, the stories of miraculous cures, the many offerings and images left in the temple by grateful patients to commemorate their cures, and the divination, magic, and astrology used by the priests to discover the proper remedies, all tended to inspire in the patient the greatest hope and expectancy for his recovery and are strong evidence that "faith was the sine qua non in the patient. "
He is also convinced that although different means were employed the same attitude toward the healer was conserved among the Chaldeans.
Bourke in his study of the Apache Indians finds that their medicine men are credited with many wonderful powers. They cause rain, hail, tempests ; they call up the shades of the dead and consult them ; they handle serpents, swallow spear heads, arrows, fire ; they locate lost property by crystal gazing; they kill and bring to life, and by many other means strengthen their hold on the people. In the same study (18, 9th, p. 473)
Bourke quotes Dr. Fordyce Grinnell to the effect that "the Apache scouts seem to prefer their own medicine men when seriously ill, and believe the weird singing and praying around the couch is more effective than the medicine dealt out by our camp `sawbones.' "
Mooney (18, 7th, p. 323) finds that the Cherokee "has the same implicit confidence in the shaman that a child has in a more intelligent physician. The ceremonies and prayers are well calculated to inspire this feeling, and the effect thus produced upon the mind of the sick man undoubtedly reacts favorably upon his physical organization."
The Hudson Bay Eskimo is not so loyal to his own medicine men as some of our Indians, but his faith in the supernatural is no less for that reason. Turner (18, 11th, p. 270) tells us that magical cures are sometimes effected by harmless concoctions of ignorant white traders so great is their faith in such remedies. "Powders are rubbed over the seat of pain and liniments are swallowed with avidity. Strange as it may seem they often report good effects, and rarely fail to ask for more of the same kind." Hoffman (18, 14th) thinks there is no doubt but that the Menomini believe their medicine men possess great power, and he himself was unable in six years of careful observation of their ceremonies to detect imposition.
Spencer and Gillen find that the central Australians have implicit faith in their medicine men (78, p. 530). Most observers are convinced of the honesty and sincerity of the great majority of the medicine men themselves (18, Bull. 30, medicine man), although there are, no doubt, some imposters among them.
Miracles of Healing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
By Charles W. Waddle (1909)
Primitive Christian Worship
Hereditary genius
