Studies in Santal Medicine and Connected Folklore (In 3 Parts)

’Studies in Santal Medicine and Connected Folklore’ consists mainly of two parts, one treating of the medicines used by the Santals, their administration and application, and one called The Santals and Disease, dealing with the general attitude of the Santals when they have to face disease, their ideas as to the origin and causation of disease, their superstitions and fears, their various attempts to appease and satisfy the malevolent powers supposed to be responsible for disease, the professional medicine-men, especially the ojha and his doings, his magic and religious endeavours; it is further told, how they act when disease is thought to have become a matter of public concern. In an appendix is described, how a Santal becomes an ojha; a description is given of the annual village-course in ojha-science and of various matters connected with this; a number of songs used when this course is finished off are recorded; specimens of the ojha’s mantars and jharnis are also given. The table of contents will show what is found in this paper and its appendices.