Traditional Healing in Treatment of Diseasses in the Past in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Background: We could say that traditional healing is a way of healing that has been common since ancient times. It has been passed down from generation to generation for many centuries. Magic medicine, although not approved by any of the monotheistic religions present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and strictly prohibited by Islam, in the form of various magical acts and spells, exists among the people. Some of these magical practices have their roots in the pre-Christian Slavic period and earlier.

Objective: The aim of this article was to provide the review of the traditional medicine during the history and today in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Methods: Review of the available literature, personal contacts and personal experience in contact with the traditional medcine.

Discussion: Some of these magical practices have their roots in the pre-Christian Slavic period and earlier. Since the cause of the disease was usually associated with evil beings of supernatural powers, a deity or God's will or punishment, it is understandable that priests have long been engaged in healing. Especially in the mentally ill, there seemed to be a certain divine or demonic origin of the disease. Muslim folk medicine divides diseases into two groups; in fevers and obsessions with unclean spirits. Folk medicine knows the healing properties of herbs and other substances of animal or mineral origin. The medicinal properties of simple foods that can be found in every home are also widely used, such as: milk, honey, vinegar, oil, onion, and garlic. Prescription books, known as "ljekaruše", were created by collecting and writing down folk remedies. They were written mostly by Catholic priests. "Witch doctors" or "healers" have been preserved in Orthodox monasteries.

Conclusion: Traditional medicine is important for history of medicine, ethnology, anthropology, and abounds in folklore elements. It is an area that leads to knowing, understanding or feeling the very nucleus of a nation.

Keywords: Traditional medicine; magic; methods of treatment; religion.

Figure 1.. Cover pages of the books: a) Jeremić R. Medical occasions. Contribution to the history of health and medical conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Ottoman’s and Austro-Hungarian period (1951); b) Mašić I. et al. Medieval Arabic medicine (2010); c) Hadžovic S. i sar. Attars and their contribution to the development of pharmacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999); and d) Mašić I. Roots of medicine and health care in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2004).