Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Traditional Medical Practices in Some Somali Communities

1984; Oxford University Press; Volume: 30; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/tropej/30.2.87

1465-3664

Hamza Yusuf, Abdillahi Saleban Adan, Khadra Ali Egal, AL-Hankawi Omer, M. M. Ibrahim, Abdullahi S. Elmi,

Health and Conflict Studies

This study conducted by the Department of Community Health of the Medical Faculty in Mogadishu Somalia from January-June 1981 was designed to contribute to the knowledge of traditional medical practices and to train medical students in field research. The study has shown that traditional medicine is commonly practiced in the study villages as well as in the city. This would indicate that traditional medical practices in these areas are more important than modern health care. It is imperative therefore that traditional medicine is given due consideration in the planning of health programs as it has a popular support rooted in cultural values of the Somali community. The main groups of diseases treated by traditional healers in the study area were not the most common diseases in the community. For instance respiratory diseases common infections and skin diseases were less commonly treated by traditional healers. Mental disorders and magic beliefs on the other hand were very often handled by the healers especially in the rural area. Religious acts traditional dancing and herbal medicine constituted the main and most commonly employed types of traditional treatments. It is rather difficult to evaluate the effects of such treatments. Further studies would be needed to judge their healing effects and are actually being planned. The results also illustrate the knowledge that traditional healers possess about common Western medical procedures particularly awareness of the need for isolation of a person suffering from a communicable disease. Other findings reveal that the female population in the villages held a firmer belief in traditional practices than the males and that positive attitudes towards traditional medical practices were more prevalent in rural areas than in the city.