ADVENTURES IN NOSOLOGY

Dis-ease: underlying concepts used to explain instances of individual illnesses; classificatory terms; social constructs, explanations. May not exist in the real world of human biology (cultural differences, e.g.). Illness: absence of disease? But not just this (can be ill or unhealthy with no diseases); also sickness

Aug 28 Background of islam

o Mostly dealing with folk islam of northern Nigeriao Derives from prophet Muhammad, lived in 4th centuryo Written down to form the Korano Words of the Koran are the very words of God himself in Arabic (god’s

language, transmitted to Muhammad)o Hadith, connection of oral traditionso In return for acknowledgement and submission to god, adhering to five

pillars of islam, god will grant to believers eternal life in paradiseo Believers must attempt to make the trek to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi

Arabia (the Hajj, al haji and hajiya for those who have completed it)o Nigerian government subsidizes the pilgrimage for Muslims (creates

political turmoil, why isn’t this being used for other things like education, healthcare, etc.)

o Five pillars: belief in one god and the prophet, ritual prayer five times a day, fasting during Ramadan, attempt to make the Hajj, and engaging in acts of charity (2.5% of one’s savings to the poor)

Hausa backgroundo Basic unit of society = Gida, a compound household with a man and up to

four wives (only the very wealthy have more than one wife) and children (unmarried boys or girls), relatives, visitors, etc.

o Upon marriage, a girl will move in with husband’s family (often the household of the husband’s father until the husband is financially stable and the wife is a little older)

o Gida typically an enclosed space with high mudbrick walls and a gateway that leads to an entryway hut/vestibule (where greeting, most social activity takes place—but gender differences)

Each wife will have her own hut Communal cooking area in the compound Latrine and well may be included if they are lucky Animal hut Children sleep with mothers, husband will sleep in wives’ huts

equallyo Communal well in town

o Fundamental organizing principle: reproductive capacity is under the control of males (father before she is married, husband while she is married, male relative in case of divorce for a specified period of time)

o Custom of wife seclusion (called purdah in south asia, called auren ‘kulle in Hausa)

Not allowed outside family compound unless closely supervised (except for young girls and old women)

o Women not allowed to go to the hospital unless given permission from husband (but the creates problem if husband is out of town during childbirth, for example)

o Agriculture, trading activitieso Women have far less opportunity to make money, but not without

economic resources Average hausa woman can make about 25% of a man Typically through selling “fast food” (prepared food) Traditionally two meals a day, and anything during midday is up to

the individual to find, so women can prepare this and sell it Hausa medicine

o Order, balance exists in life, individual, societyo Illness results from disruption of this order by some forceo There are repositories of power that can be used to combat disorder,

restore proper order, healtho Fundamental Hausa concept about health is called “Lafiya”

Arabic loan word Ubiquitous in Hausa speech Translated as health, but actually a broader concept—refers to

health as the sense of wellbeing, balance, order, stability, everything being right with the world (‘ok-ness’)

Used in greeting as the polite response to any question Medical context: Lafiyar jiki=body wellbeing

o State of illness is not a state, but rather the absence of Lafiya Pathological state that should be corrected by the application of a

specific remedy (Ba na de lafiya = I don’t have lafiya = I’m sick)o Lafiya also applies to community, social order (e.g., Ferguson has no

lafiya)o ‘Karfi = strength, vigor, energy

motive force or power behind the presence of Lafiyao Ciwo = illness, disease; pain

Illnesses usually manifest themselves as discomfort, pain, unease Lack of lafiya can be ciwo Used in relation to a specific part of the body

o Hausa patient is more concerned with symptoms, specifics rather than underlying pattern or disease

The Ciwo is the disease

don’t have the tools to build amore extensive understanding of how the body works and what can go wrong with it

unverifiable preconceived notions of metaphysical also prevent diagnoses closer to western ideas of disease

o illness caused by inanimate disruptions of the physical environment, or intrusion of conscious malevolent being

o ciwon allah = diseases of god built into structure of world natural causes environmental illnesses

o ciwon miyagu arise from intrusion of evil forces

o rai life, life force lives in the heart

o jini blood no concept of bloodflow important to life and health

September 2, 2014 ciwon allah

o balances are very important e.g., balance between sweet and salty foods

o cold – samyio cuppingo sjawara = yellow (jaundice, hepatitis)o amosani = rheumatism; increase in accumulation of too much phlegm

along internal organs witchcraft (maita)

o different from sorcery (sammu, use of black magic)o inherent characteristic or power of a witcho refers to substance that resides in the body of the witcho in hausa thought, withcraft is an evil power inherent to individual inherited

through mother’s milk or ice or flint that resides in stomach (can be vomited up and ingested by others)

o unease about rural hausa, those who haven’t converted to islam, “hillbilly” hausa

o if you have witchcraft (if you have the substance), you can see somebody’s soul and attack it, cause sickness and even death by disrupting life force

o nosebleeds are thought to be external signs of witch attacko the soul in hausa is a spiritual substance that resides in each one of us that

is sort of connected to body; invisible, related to breath

o said to be hot (need hot peppers to feed hotness)o said to have penetrating eyeso cancelled out by adoption of islam, allah

borio cult….pagan spirit worship? I think

dodoo owning one (?) like joining the republican party wtf>?o Evil spirits maybe

Evil apiritso Aljannu

Arabic load word, comes from djinno Iskoki

Maganio ~medicine, but more like remedy, more like magani is that which brings

lafiyao prophylaxis against troubleo not ony physical relam, has implications in other areaso can refer to anything which corrects or prevents an undesirable condition

or situation presuppositions of hausa medicine

o ability to live in harmony with surroundingso for each illness, allah has ordained a remedy according to his will

success in the treatment of illness come from knowledge of these remedies

more sever illness: knowledge of proper medicines becomes harder to obtain, will be known by fewer

o ingredients of successful medicines lie in repositories of power in this world (trees, plants, animals created by god)

essence of medicine is knowledge of interrelations of these and how they can be applied to treat sickness

may be revealed by spirits may be gained by gaining access through secrets of other traditions

(passing down recipes; apprenticeship to owner o fsuch secrets like bori cult of spirit possession)

o most important aspect of hausa medicine: god is the world’s medicine islam, particularly hausa folk islam, god controls everything

everythwere and everything happens bc of will of godSeptember 4, 2014

Hausa medicine has fatalistic streak (everything that happens to you is gods will) But also a god-given remedy for everything If you’re being treated but not getting better, maybe the Boka (herbal healer)

doesn’t know what you’re doing Themes in hausa medicine

o Power Idea of secrets and power

Essence of medicine is searching for power (power to cure sickness, gain popularity, gain sexual potentcy/attractiveness, eliminate rival, economic success, etc.)

Power of words in arabic Belief that drinking the ink used to write certain verses, for

example, can cure ailments (etc.) Power of number 99

Muslim rosary has 33 beads, you go through it 3 times Power of zamzam water

Often found in possession of al-hajjis, used as cure-all Water from the well of zamzam, supposedly is on

pilgrimage mecca and remains miraculously full Power from fire

Carrying torches, burning tree bark when about to harvest herbal medications (idea that fire charges, empowers medicine)

o Hot and cold (similar to how we have a ‘cold’ that is not actually a cold, just

more often occurs in the cold) idea that cold produces excess phlegm, mucus, makes us ill same logic as in our culture applies in hausa

kayan yaki=hot spicy stuff yaji can be used for illness, as poultices, for erectile dysfunction,

within realm of cupping (in cuts) women who have just given birth are kept in hot rooms and fed hot

things to fend of cold extreme: sleep on top of brick oven things hot ‘baths’ domestic burns are a big problem; problems with

dietheart failure rates are higho imbalance

illness thought to be an imbalance, treated by restoring balance (theoretically fine)

need to know how to recognize imbalance, what causes it, wwhat will restore it, how much of whatever substance restores it to use, for how long, etc.

o strength and toughness health depends on having adequate strength or vigor lack of strength is an early sign of sickness some of the worst diseases you can get in hausa culture are ones

that cause severe weakness this can be cause by tons of things though

“tsimi” = tonic toughness is associated with invulnerability to injury; strength is

associated with vigor—ideally you would like to have both

lots of medicines that supposedly increase toughness (prevents injury from hoes, snakebites, etc.)

o daji vs gari (bush vs town) wilderness v civilization paganism v islam spirits v islam danger v safety hidden/secret v open/welcoming

harvesting medicineso height

medicines from high places are seen to be best for spirits, association between spirits and heights

in trees, out of vultures nesto rural areas

the more difficult it is to find, the better the medicine probably iso symbolism

fertility, erectile dysfunction treated by phallic things, e.g. getting things near something that flows is seen to be better for

menstruation, e.g., than the same thing from somewhere far from flowing things

sympathetic magic from Frasier’s the golden bough

tafiya ruwa=going away in the rainy season—childhood disease o colors

red, white, and black mostly (sometimes yellow) white: associated with fertility and goodness; color of breast milk

and semen; (sidenote nono=breastmilk; fermented cow’s milk; madara=cow’s milk (raw)-most hausa villagers are lactose intolerant and have to drink fermented milk) associated with light, happiness, etc.

red: color of blood, lifeforce, power, strength, severity; black: death, excrement, sorrow, repulsion, evil

o attraction/repulsion attraction: sticky, pretty, good smelling, sweet;