Sickness and medicine--an African paradigm

The concepts of sickness employed in the practice of Western medicine and those held by the Nguni peoples in Africa are shown to be disparate. The approach of the so-called 'traditional healer' incorporates the world-view of the culture within which she works, and her ministrations are consonant with the prevailing beliefs of the community. It is therefore postulated that within this context the application of conventional Western therapeutic techniques can be inappropriate and consequently ineffective.