The Cabuntoguenos' Way of Experiencing Pain

Journal/Book: Natur- und Ganzheitsmedizin Wissenschaft und Praxis. 1990; 3/8: 246-251.

Abstract: An eight-month field-study examined the aspects of how 100 members of a Philippine group of fishermen, living in the area of Cabuntog, experience disease. Of the diseases which are known to appear frequently with these fishermen, 54 different concepts were chosen. The test-persons arranged the concepts of disease in respect to 24 different aspects, such as pain, fear, helplessness, infectiosity, and prognosis.The analysis of the data showed that the concept of pain includes much more than mere bodily pain in Cabuntog; it has a far wider meaning than it has in western culture. Chronic diseases in particular, such as mental disturbances and blindness, cause pain. Nevertheless, the Cabuntoguenos rarely complain about pain. The intensity of the experience of pain correlates highly with the possible costs of the treatment and with the question of whether a person is able to finance it. If it is possible to gain control over a disease with the help of natural medicine and magic rituals it is generally considered less painful.

Keyword(s): Ethnologie

Zurück | Weiter