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Medicine

Page history last edited by Emma Simson 14 years, 2 months ago

 

 

Inca Medicine

 

 

The Inca were very skillful people in medicine. The Incas believed that being sick was either a punishment from the gods or evil magic. The only way to cure the sickness was to go to a doctor or by magic. Every year disease and evil would be banished from Cuzco during the Situa Festival. The Situa Festival consisted of several days of doctors checking the llama’s lungs and then sacrificing them. The Inca doctors checked the llama’s lungs, because the believed it would show them if the following year would be a healthy one or not.

The Inca medicine was a mixture of specialties and treatments. Remedies were combinations or herbs and minerals. Doctors knew about urinary tracks, the respiratory disorders (coughs and bronchitis), the gastrointestinal system, and some sexual problems. Many times they used a collahuaya; someone who has expert knowledge of plants. They used this person to identify the different types of plants for medicines. For example, they boiled bark which cured swelling and healed bruising, they used Twigs to clean teeth and to keep their gums healthy, and the berries were used as an excellent cough syrup.

In the Inca Empire there were only 3 types of doctors. The first type of doctor was called Watukk. Watukk’s job was to find out the origin of the sickness, track the overall somatic, emotional and pathology stage. The second type of doctor was called Hanpeq. Hanpeq’s job was to apply knowledge on diseases, blending and linking herbs and minerals, and to apply specials attention on remedy and post treatment. The last type of doctor was called Paqo. This doctor’s job was to treat the soul. The soul was believed to be located in the heart, and the health of the spirit was inside the body.

Some interesting facts of the Inca medicine is that if someone in the Inca community had a severe head or brain injury/issue; the doctors would operate on the head after going to the three different types of doctors. In the Inca medicine worked very well which gave the people in the community an 80-90% survival rate. Another interesting fact is that when to Inca doctors had to sew the people’s injuries the wounds healed perfectly and there were only a few cases.

The Inca medicine was amazing. The Inca doctors were consistently finding new herbs, minerals and trying new remedies and improving the old ones. The Inca doctors were in search for many new answers for great medical development and the healing power of the Inca medicine was extraordinary. As well as the religion and magical spells had a great part of treatment, which helped the patient believe he/she was cured. The fact that the person believed that they were cured freed endorphins in the blood stream, helping the body heal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Inca Medicine." Peru Travel Confidential. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. http://www.peru-travel-confidential.com/inca-medicine.html

"Inca Herbs." Peru Travel Confidential. Web.20 Jan. 2010. http://www.peru-travel-confidential.com/inca-herb.html

 

Kendal, Sarita. Worlds of the Past; the Incas. New York, New Discovery books; 1991.

 

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