Med Trop (Mars). 1981 May-Jun; 41(3): 315-25.

[Note about Caledonian ethno-medicine (author's transl)]

Zeldine G.

Natives of New Caledonia believe that both worlds of the living creatures and of the dead are the same but with two aspects. Still these two worlds frequently oppose each other: witches are able on the request of the dead, to cast spell over; but medicine-men, if requested in due time, can prevent or cure their bad effects. Among the various noxious consequences of witches action is madness, which is not considered as a mental illness but either as a consequence of a spell or as punishment for a tabu transgression. So, mental patients are generally presented first to the medicine-man and, if necessary, in a second time reported to the occidental medicine. In such a situation, a good cooperation between the medicine-man and the psychiatric is strongly recommended.