Page 89 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

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Arab Superstitions about Diseases and
Quackery in Medicine

Mrs. C. Stanley G. Mylkea

In tin• Name of Thy Lord who hath created all thimjs; who hath
created man of concealed blood. SI R.-l lM).

HIS is a wide subject and one which takes a lifetime to search
T out. However, it is safe to say that Arabs are full of supersti­
tions about diseases. Perhaps one could sav that Kate is tile
parent of them all. There are diseases which come upon one
from God and man can do very little in such cases. Epidemics of small­
pox and measles are from God and one must accept them and hope
that it is not written that it should be fatal. I was once spending the
day at the house of a mullah or learned man and there came a knock
at the door. My hostess called out, ‘‘Who is it?” and the answer came,
*‘I want the Mullah—my child is ill.” My hostess asked her what kind
of an illness it was and ended up by saying, “If it is smallpox the
Mullah's reading verses over her won’t do any good—it will do harm."
'fhe poor woman had brought a glass of water which she wauled the
Mullah to read over and occasionally spit into so that she could give
it to her child as medicine. You would think it would shake their
faith in a God who would not bless the reading of, as they think, Hi*
word over them when the disease was such a virulent one. Pul it is
fate decreed by God and they must be resigned.
Moslems believe in the effectual fervent prayers of righteous men
and the reading of portions from the Koran over the sick is con­
sidered most beneficial. Women stand outside of the mosques with
glasses of water and the faithful spit into them as they come out from
prayers. This is carried home and the afflicted one must drink it.
There are many herbs which are steeped and taken as medicine. For
ulcers and sores a favorite remedy is a plaster made of camel fat. dates
and bait. Asafetida is a very common drug and it would seem that the
worse the smell the more efficacious the remedy.
Smells figure largely in their superstitions. Anyone having an open
wound must not smell pleasant or sweet smelling things. If he does the
wound will begin to fester and hurt more than ever. It is a fairly
common sight to see people with bits of rag made into plugs which are
stuffed into the nostrils and to make doubly sure these plugs are soaked
in asafetida.
'['here are two common expressions explaining the cause of an ill­
ness. one is called “nets” and the other “tharura.” It is hard to explain
their exact meaning, both have to do with the Evil eye and jinns or
evil spirits. Someone gels ill with fever and they say it is *,ncfs.M
Not long ago a woman’s cow got ill and she said it was “net's.” Some­
one may have come into her house asking how much milk tile cow-
was giving and paid altogether too much attention to the animal and MJ
cast an evil spell over it and the result was “nefs” or fever. ( hie h;u