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Show 169 as the cause of illness was to be found localized only between ethnic groups living south of the Aztec Confederacy. Also rare was the one attributing certain diseases to the possession by gods. All diagnoses were based upon some kind of revelation. The technique most in vogue was the dream resulting from the taking of dope-by which the indigenous medicine-man, by way of an act of ritual cannibalism, was identified with a god. Prognostication was of high importance and was performed by various methods ranging from consultations of the augural calendar to future-telling with maize grains. Therapeutics used special techniques of oral control. Vocalization, conjuration-at times confession, and others, were employed in order to oblige the gods to cure the sicknesses. To them were added such measures as thankfulness, offerings, and penitence. For the extraction of a foreign body, suction was a more common method than the one of blowing, rubbing or pinching. Emotional therapeutics was not limited to internal pains, but sirurgical cures themselves went in company with a cure by magical ways-most of which are understandable only when we know the methods through which they were originated. For curing the bites of some stinging animals, a process of seduction, which had occured at a certain time and space of the Legend, was dramatized. This medicine we considered superstitious and prelogical- looking at it from an unbiased point-seems today to have fulfilled rightly its role in the indigenous culture-i.e., coped with the anxiety of the tribe and guaranteed everyone security regarding their sicknesses. Russell, James E. (United States). "Some Health Problems Among the Chontals of Tabasco, Mexico," America Indigena, VII No. 4 (October, 1947), pp. 315-321. Summary in Spanish, article in English. 1949 Cadogan, Leon (Paraguay). "Sintesis de la Medicina Racional y Mistica MBYA-Guarani*," America Indigena, IX No. 1 (January, 1949), pp. 21- 35. *=Utilizo la J para grafiar el sonido de la "ye" espanola; la Y para el sonido vocal gutural, y la y para el sonido vocal nasal-gutural. La S se convierte, en MBYA-Guarani, en Ch; y no existe la H aspirada. English Summary: The author divides MBYA-Guarani medical lore into Rational and Mystical Medicine, and religion being so closely |