ORIGIN OF DISEASE AND MEDICINE

ORIGIN OF DISEASE AND MEDICINE

In the old days the beasts, birds, fishes, insects, and plants could all talk, and
they and the people lived together in peace and friendship. But as time went on
the people increased so rapidly that their settlements spread over the whole
earth, and the poor animals found themselves beginning to be cramped for room.
This was bad enough, but to make it worse Man invented bows, knives,
blowguns, spears, and hooks, and began to slaughter the larger animals, birds,
and fishes for their flesh or their skins, while the smaller creatures, such as the
frogs and worms, were crushed and trodden upon without thought, out of pure
carelessness or contempt. So the animals resolved to consult upon measures for
their common safety.
The Bears were the first to meet in council in their townhouse under Kuwâ′hĭ
mountain, the “Mulberry place,” and the old White Bear chief presided. After
each in turn had complained of the way in which Man killed their friends, ate
their flesh, and used their skins for his own purposes, it was decided to begin
war at once against him. Some one asked what weapons Man used to destroy
them. “Bows and arrows, of course,” cried all the Bears in chorus. “And what
are they made of?” was the next question. “The bow of wood, and the string of
our entrails,” replied one of the Bears. It was then proposed that they make a
bow and some arrows and see if they could not use the same weapons against
Man himself. So one Bear got a nice piece of locust wood and another sacrificed
himself for the good of the rest in order to furnish a piece of his entrails for the
string. But when everything was ready and the first Bear stepped up to make the
trial, it was found that in letting the arrow fly after drawing back the bow, his
long claws caught the string and spoiled the shot. This was annoying, but some
one suggested that they might trim his claws, which was accordingly done, and
on a second trial it was found that the arrow went straight to the mark. But here
the chief, the old White Bear, objected, saying it was necessary that they should
have long claws in order to be able to climb trees. “One of us has already died to
furnish the bow-string, and if we now cut off our claws we must all starve
together. It is better to trust to the teeth and claws that nature gave us, for it is
plain that man’s weapons were not intended for us.”
No one could think of any better plan, so the old chief dismissed the council and
the Bears dispersed to the woods and thickets without having concerted any way
to prevent the increase of the human race. Had the result of the council been
otherwise, we should now be at war with the Bears, but as it is, the hunter does
not even ask the Bear’s pardon when he kills one.not even ask the Bear’s pardon when he kills one.
The Deer next held a council under their chief, the Little Deer, and after some
talk decided to send rheumatism to every hunter who should kill one of them
unless he took care to ask their pardon for the offense. They sent notice of their
decision to the nearest settlement of Indians and told them at the same time what
to do when necessity forced them to kill one of the Deer tribe. Now, whenever
the hunter shoots a Deer, the Little Deer, who is swift as the wind and can not be
wounded, runs quickly up to the spot and, bending over the blood-stains, asks
the spirit of the Deer if it has heard the prayer of the hunter for pardon. If the
reply be “Yes,” all is well, and the Little Deer goes on his way; but if the reply
be “No,” he follows on the trail of the hunter, guided the drops of blood on
the ground, until he arrives at his cabin in the settlement, when the Little Deer
enters invisibly and strikes the hunter with rheumatism, so that he becomes at
once a helpless cripple. No hunter who has regard for his health ever fails to ask
pardon of the Deer for killing it, although some hunters who have not learned the
prayer may try to turn aside the Little Deer from his pursuit building a fire
behind them in the trail.
Next came the Fishes and Reptiles, who had their own complaints against Man.
They held their council together and determined to make their victims dream of
snakes twining about them in slimy folds and blowing foul breath in their faces,
or to make them dream of eating raw or decaying fish, so that they would lose
appetite, sicken, and die. This is why people dream about snakes and fish.
Finally the Birds, Insects, and smaller animals came together for the same
purpose, and the Grubworm was chief of the council. It was decided that each in
turn should give an opinion, and then they would vote on the question as to
whether or not Man was guilty. Seven votes should be enough to condemn him.
One after another denounced Man’s cruelty and injustice toward the other
animals and voted in favor of his death. The Frog spoke first, saying: “We must
do something to check the increase of the race, or people will become so
numerous that we shall be crowded from off the earth. See how they have kicked
me about because I’m ugly, as they say, until my back is covered with sores;”
and here he showed the spots on his skin. Next came the Bird—no one
remembers now which one it was—who condemned Man “because he burns my
feet off,” meaning the way in which the hunter barbecues birds impaling them
on a stick set over the fire, so that their feathers and tender feet are singed off.
Others followed in the same strain. The Ground-squirrel alone ventured to say aOthers followed in the same strain. The Ground-squirrel alone ventured to say a
good word for Man, who seldom hurt him because he was so small, but this
made the others so angry that they fell upon the Ground-squirrel and tore him
with their claws, and the stripes are on his back to this day.
They began then to devise and name so many new diseases, one after another,
that had not their invention at last failed them, no one of the human race would
have been able to survive. The Grubworm grew constantly more pleased as the
name of each disease was called off, until at last they reached the end of the list,
when some one proposed to make menstruation sometimes fatal to women. On
this he rose up in his place and cried: “Wadâñ′! [Thanks!] I’m glad some more
of them will die, for they are getting so thick that they tread on me.” The thought
fairly made him shake with joy, so that he fell over backward and could not get
on his feet again, but had to wriggle off on his back, as the Grubworm has done
ever since.
When the Plants, who were friendly to Man, heard what had been done the
animals, they determined to defeat the latters’ evil designs. Each Tree, Shrub,
and Herb, down even to the Grasses and Mosses, agreed to furnish a cure for
some one of the diseases named, and each said: “I shall appear to help Man
when he calls upon me in his need.” Thus came medicine; and the plants, every
one of which has its use if we only knew it, furnish the remedy to counteract the
evil wrought the revengeful animals. Even weeds were made for some good
purpose, which we must find out for ourselves. When the doctor does not know
what medicine to use for a sick man the spirit of the plant tells him.