Page 118 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

bathing. Theoretically this oil protects the child against wind and other minor

ailments.
Post-natal treatment today remains much the same as in the past. However,
skilled masseurs are harder to find and they are not particularly cheap. If new
parents cannot afford the high prices, the extended family, or a friend, steps in
and helps with the binding. Westerners may question whether it is worth the
discomfort and effort. Indonesian mothers provide the answer themselves. They
emerge from childbirth like butterflies from the chrysalis. Their skin glows, they
radiate energy and their bodies look as good as, if not better than, before the
birth.

The Art of Bone Knitting
Indonesians rarely rush to the nearest hospital to emerge with broken bones set
in plaster. Instead they head for the bone expert. Interestingly, the highest
concentration of bone experts in Java comes from Cisarua, a village near
Sukabumi, two hours south of Jakarta. Because of their renown and the relative

proximity to Jakarta, they are inundated with patients.
Before laying a hand on the patient, many dukun patah tulang (as such
people are known) concentrate the mind and say a short prayer to consecrate
their oil and increase its efficacy. After the massage, patients are often given a
bottle of oil with instructions to repeat the treatment at home three times a day,
and advised to return when the bottle is empty. Home massage is convenient, for
at least one person in most families knows how to massage, or there is a masseur
who lives nearby. The routine continues till the bone is healed. These patah

tulang frequently rectify problems when doctors advise amputation or pronounce
injuries incurable. There is no question that dukun patah tulang are
knowledgeable: they not only possess all the skills of an urut expert, but have
considerable additional knowledge. While they may not know the scientific or
even the Indonesian names for bones, the patah tulang is totally familiar with
anatomy, physiology and bone structure, muscles and tendons. In this specialist
field, it is usual for the trainee to study from books, unlike other massage
experts, who learn exclusively by watching and through experience.
The patah tulang uses a series of clues to help the diagnosis. Breaks are
always accompanied by swelling. If there is no external sign of broken bones,

then reddish skin, caused by broken blood vessels, is a good indicator of the
affected area. Sometimes the bone expert cannot see a break but can still put the
bones back together fairly easily. A bad gash with plenty of blood may appear
horrific but joining the bones together is not a real challenge. The difficulty