New evidence indicates dental modification, widely established as an aesthetic practice, was also practiced for medical purposes skeletal remains recovered at the Piedras Negras S-Sector site indicated dental extractions on teeth affected by caries among other methods of dental modification. The ah-man was also called ah-pul-yaah, the "disease thrower". In addition to his duties as a doctor and sorcerer, a medicine man not only cured diseases, but also sporadically accepted compensation to cause them. Bone setting was done by a designated bone-binder, or kax-bac. These Maya doctors often employed specialists for specific healing techniques such as bone-setting and childbirth, similar to the method of modern doctors. Known for their extensive knowledge and spirituality, medicine men were called upon for many reasons, but most often for their healing capabilities. The medicine men of ancient Maya society provided many services to their communities and were held in high regard. The Maya acknowledged mental afflictions such as melancholia and hallucinations, were capable of understanding the grouping of symptoms relating to contagious diseases, and identified several diseases including pinta and leishmaniasis. In pathology, over two hundred terms described organic conditions, such as thuhuzen meaning a deep bronchial cough, zen meaning largyneal cough, and tiptec meaning intestinal pain with pulsation, speculated to have been appendicitis. The Maya had a broad range of vocabulary to describe internal human anatomy, such as hobnel for intestines and kah for bile, as well as knowledge of general functions of body systems, in particular the female reproductive system. ![]() The number of times or days that the remedy should be ingested or applied depended on an individual's gender typically the number thirteen was associated with men, and the number nine with women. After studying the symptoms of a sickness, a medicine man may prescribe a remedy to his patient. In addition to ritualistic and spiritual elements, the medicine man had extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and how they should be used. This aspect of the medicine man's job would be similar to a modern-day therapy session. This was done in a methodological fashion, first inquiring about ascriptive attributes, followed by specific events of the person's life, and lastly about circumstantial or acquired attributes. Since it was perceived by the Maya that sickness was a punishment for a mistake or transgression, it was important that the healer inquire about details of the past of the sick person. Medicine men, known to the ancient Maya as ah-men, held the special ability to alter consciousness to determine causes for events not understood, such as reasons for illness or misfortune. Cleansing techniques included fasting, sweating and purging flushed substances out of the body. Herbal remedies were ingested, smoked, snorted, rubbed on the skin, and even used in the form of enemas to force rapid absorption of a substance into the blood stream. Research of Maya ethno-medicine shows that though supernatural causes are related to illness, a large percentage of Maya medical texts are devoted to the treatment of symptoms based upon objective observations of the effects of certain plants on the human system. For this reason, curing a sickness involved elements of ritual, cleansing and herbal remedy. ![]() In understanding Maya medicine, it is important to recognize that the Maya equated sickness with the captivity of one's soul by supernatural beings, angered by some perceived misbehavior. Since medicine was so closely related to religion, it was essential that Maya medicine men had vast medical knowledge and skill. They practiced sorcery for the purpose of healing, foresight, and control over natural events. These shamans acted as a medium between the physical world and spirit world. Important to all, medicine was practiced only by a select few, who generally inherited their positions and received extensive education. It was a complex blend of mind, body, religion, ritual and science. Maya medicine concerns health and medicine among the ancient Maya civilization.
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