The Pima Indians/Sophiology/Prevalent diseases
SOPHIOLOGY
Prevalent Diseases[1]
Consumption is the most frequent and fatal disease, due to poverty of diet and contagion. The Pimas do not attempt to prevent infection. Their former treatment was a diet of mountain turtle and sun-dried beef.
Dysentery is common in summer because of the peculiar habit, by no means confined to the Pimas, of eating unripe melons.
Impetigo contagiosa is the worst skin disease, and is principally confined to the children.
Children are intentionally exposed to smallpox and measles, that they may have the diseases in lighter form. Smallpox was regarded as an evil spirit of which they did not dare to show fear. They said "I like Smallpox," thinking that he would be thus placated. At one time they attempted inoculation from persons that had light attacks, but the experiment resulted in many deaths. From 1870 until the Government sent a physician to the agency, the missionary, Rev. C.H. Cook, supplied the Pimas with vaccine. They retained some of their old dread of the demon and continued to place the bandages with which the arm had been dressed upon a certain mesquite tree, not daring to burn them for fear of offending. Smallpox has usually been brought to the Pimas by the Papagos from Mexico. Measles appears every three or four years, but does not seem to he any more fatal than among the whites, though it is more likely to be followed by consumption.
Rheumatism of the chronic articular type is fairly common and is treated like many other pains by scarifying the part affected with bits of broken glass.
There are a few cases of acquired syphilis among the Pimas and a few due to hereditary taint, but they are fairly free from the disease, considering their habits, and are much more exempt from it than their allies, the Maricopas.
Diarrhea was supposed to be die to touching ripe wheat in the fields, and it was considered necessary for a medicine-man to walk about in the standing grain and blow the danger away with smoke.
Bleeding wounds were bandaged; burns were plastered with wet mud; broken limbs were set with skill and inclosed in light and strong splints made of reeds.
Melancholia sometimes afflicts "a man who has killed Apaches" so that he wanders about without clothing and refuses to talk. No treatment is attempted, and the victim dies of neglect.
Massage is a common form of treatment of almost any disease and of itself is enough to endanger the patient, for it sometimes happens that the operator administers a vigorous pommeling to the abdomen.
Table of diseases
| Rare | Occasional | Common |
| Acne Epilepsy Dementia Lupus Melancholia Typhoid |
Asthma Cataract Eczema Favus Heart disease Neuralgia Pleurisy Scabies Smallpox Syphilis Urticaria |
Bronchitis Caries Conjunctivitis Consumption Diarrhea Dysentery Impetigo contagiosa Measles Pneumonia Rheumatism Toothache |
- ↑ From 1892 until 1895 Dr A.E. Marden held the position of agency physician at Sacaton and from 1900 until the time of the writer's visit to the Pimas in 1902 continued his practice as missionary physician among the Pimas. The writer is indebted to him for the greater portion of the information relating to the degree of prevalence of disease.