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Jenks, Albert Ernest, 1869-1953

"The Bontoc Igorot"


Sore eyes, a condition known as in-o'-ki, are very frequently seen;
they doubtless precede most cases of blindness.
The Igorot bears pain well, but his various fatalistic superstitions
make him often an easy victim to a malady that would yield readily
to the science of modern medicine and from which, in the majority of
cases, he would probably recover if his mind could only assist his
body in withstanding the disease.
One is surprised to find that sores from bruises do not generally
heal quickly.
The Igorot attempts no therapeutic remedies for fevers, cholera,
beri-beri, rheumatism, consumption, diarrhea, syphilis, goiter, colds,
or sore eyes.
Some effort, therapeutic in its intent, is made to assist nature in
overcoming a few of the simplest ailments of the body.
For a cut, called "na-fa'-kag," the fruit of a grass-like herb named
la-lay'-ya is pounded to a paste, and then bound on the wound.
Burns, ma-la-fub-chong', are covered over with a piece of bark from
a tree called ta-kum'-fao.
Kay-yub', a vegetable root, is rubbed over the forehead in cases
of headache.
Boils, fu-yu-i', and swellings, nay-am-an' or kin-may-yon', are
treated with a poultice of a pounded herb called ok-ok-ong'-an.


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