Portland observer., February 23, 1994, Page 12, Image 12

F ebruary 23,1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age B6
21 { tc 53ortlaui»^Bbeeruer
More On The Ancient African
Practitioners Of Medicine
by
P rofessor M ckinley B urt
L a st w eek, 2 /1 9 /9 4 ,1 began re ­
c o u n tin g m any o f the w onderful c o n ­
trib u tio n s to the field o f m edicine by
A fric an s an d A frican A m erican s—
b eg in n ing w ith som e o r our ancestors
in E th io p ia an d P haronic E gypt. Be
sure to g et th a t copy o f the P ortland
O b serv er for valuable citatio n s o f
b o o k s and sources, and particularly
for the G reek copy cats and w annabes;
w ell d o cu m en ted as usual.
S p eak in g further to that, let m e
refer you to an excellent book by a
n o te d B r itis h a u t h o r / p h y s ic i a n ,
A tk in so n, w ho w rote an ex c ellen t and
extrem ely unreadable history o f m edi­
c in e , still in p rin t, “ M agic, M yth and
M ed icin e.” It begins w ith the sem inal
A frican co n trib u tio n s o f E gy p t and
co n tig u o u s d o m a in s, then the H e­
brew s, follow ed on by the G reek late­
co m ers (“ n otorious thiev es”), then
the R o m an s an d so forth.
S e v e n th o u s a n d y e a r s a g o ,
Im h o tep , V ize r to b lack K ing Z oser-
-w hose full-lipped, thick-nosed lik e­
n ess is p rese rv e d in the B ritish R oyal
M u se u m -b e c a m e ch ief physicians o f
the land and so highly h on o red for his
abilities he w as adjudged divine. From
this very first dynasty on, thousands
o f years before the G reek, H ippocrates
w as b o m , A frican s set the standards,
d iscip lin es and ethics for the w o rld ’s
w ay E gyptian m edicine b ecam e the
g roundw ork for G reek m edicine as
given to us by H ippocrates.”
M y, My! Il occurs that had som e
o f the detractors o f the school system ' s
“m ulticultural B asline E ssays" gone
to good schools like Dr. A tkinsons
(O xford, U niversity o f E dinburgh),
they w ould not have found so m uch to
q u a n d with w hen shocked by d o c u ­
m ented recitations o f m inority co n tri­
butions. I ’m happy to rep o rt that d e ­
spite the fact that racists (or those in
fear o f racists) rejected my co n trib u ­
tions to the p ro c e ss-in c lu d in g m y
sp e c ia lty , “ B lack In v e n to rs”- I ’ve
survived and now have ex cellen t su p ­
port from industry for both research
and m an u scrip t p rep aratio n . I ’ll have
those “ A frican tech n o lo g y ” volum es
B ut, b ack to the an cien t A frican
m en an d w o m en o f m edicine. In the
E gyptian p an th eo n , a sym bol for the
“ey e o f H orus” b ecam e a popular
Breaking The Sickle Cycle
T h e N a tio n a l A s s o c ia ti o n f o r
S ic k le C e ll D is e a s e (N A S C D ) a n d
its 7 4 m e m b e r o r g a n iz a ti o n s in
c a l l i n g o n y o u to a s s i s t us in
la u n c h in g a p u b lic in f o r m a ti o n
c a m p a ig n d u r in g th e m o n th o f
S e p te m b e r w h ic h is a n n u a lly r e c ­
charm to p ro tect e y e s an d to p rom ote o g n iz e d a s N a tio n a l S ic k le C e ll
health. T h e sign w h ich p reced es o u r M o n th . U .S . C o n g r e s s m a n J u li a n
m edical p resc rip tio n s w as deriv ed
D ix o n s e rv e s a s H o n o ra ry C h a i r ­
from it. It passed through m an y stages m a n fo r th e m o n th lo g a p p e a l
and ev en tu ally to o k on the a p p e ar­ w h i l e
n o te d
a c to r
R o b e rt
ance o f o u r cap ital “ R :” , bearing an G u illa u m e is in h is s e c o n d y e a r a s
inclined d ash at its base. (T h e “eye o f
o u r N a tio n a l S p o k e s m a n .
H o ru s” also ap p ears on th e rev erse
T h is y e a r ’s c a m p in g is e s p e ­
side o f a d o llar b ill-a b o v e the p y ra ­ c i a l l y c r itic a l b e c a u s e S ic k le C e ll
m id in the g reat seal o f th e U .S .)
D is e a s e , an in h e r ite d b lo o d d i s ­
T h en , w e ca n w ell u nderstand o r d e r th a t a f f e c ts o v e r 2 .5 m illio n
A tkinson ’ s statem ent that his research A m e r ic a n s , h a s b e e n p u t o n th e
show s that H ippocrates show ed no b a c k b u r n e r a s a p u b lic h e a lth
recognition o f the early em blem o f the p o lic y is s u e , N A S C D w ill b e m a k ­
G reek h ealin g art the C aduceus; “ this in g a c o n c e r te d e f f o r t to r a lly
h ealing w an d w ith the en tw in ed se r­ p u b lic , c o r p o r a te a n d le g i s l a t i v e
p ents, no d o u b t, had its orig in long s u p p o r t to jo in u s in o u r n o w 2 2
out yet.
I ’ve stopped to m ention this b e ­ before the birth o f H ippocrates”. W e y e a r m is s io n to “ B re a k T h e S ic k le
so o n find that th is in tern atio n ally
cause o f the n um b er o f inquiries from
C y c le A n d F in d A C u re F o r S ic k le
w ould-be A frican A m erican co ntribu­ accepted and honored sym bol o f the C e ll D is e a s e .”
h ig h est p ro fessio n o f m an k in d o rig i­
tors to our history w h o feel that they
T h e en clo su res w ill g iv e you h is­
have been blocked or sh u t o u t o f the nated in p red iag n o stic E gypt.
to rical d ata on N A S C D , th e d ise ase
In L am y ’s b ook, “ E gyptian M ys­
p ro c e ss-e v e n by other blacks to w hom
w e are fig h tin g an d in fo rm atio n on
teries” , w e are rem in d ed th at d u rin g
they refer to as “ the cliq u e” . I ’m
o u r sc h ed u le d h earin g d u rin g the
aw are o f w hat they are talking ab o u t the p red iag n o stic p erio d the S pring an n u a l C o n g ressio n al B lac k C au cu s
E quinox w as in the sigh o f G em in i,
b u t it is som ething I w ill h av e to
C o n v en tio n in S ep tem b er w h ere w e
ad dress in a later article. L et it su ffice, the tw ins, an d a t th e sam e tim e th ere w ill take o u r fig h t for the rig h ts o f
w as a d u al m onarchy in E gypt. E ach
now , to suggest ex panding y o u r c o n ­
S ick le C ell D isease victim s to the H ill
tacts and reso u rces, m o ving rig h t part had a d o u b le cap ital, the N orth an d appeal fo r equity.
aro u n d the envio u s an d je alo u s as I an d the S outh; the notorious “ tw o
I am also in clu d in g m e d ia re ­
lan d ” th a t w eir finally unified. “T h is
lated m aterials to be d issem in a te d by
did.
A s m entio n ed the o th er w eek, them e o f d u ality , also p ro m in en t in a o u r co m p an y as w ell as a list o f a v a il­
m edical profession.
I ’ve rejoined the A ssociation o f O r­ n u m b e ro f sculpted tablets dating from a b le spokespersons. T h an k you in
W e h a v e i t f u r t h e r fro m
that p erio d , is fu rth er co n firm ed by
a d v a n ce fo r aid in g N A S C D in b rin g -
A tk in so n ’s book; “ From the first d y ­ egon Industries, m aking presentations
the p ro ty p e o f ‘H erm es Staff*, the
nasty o n w ard (4000 B .C .), E g y p t had to executive determ in ed to fu rth er an
C ad u ceu s w ith its tw in se rp en ts.”
a system o f m edicine m ore rational ailing ed ucation pro cess and re c o g ­
W ell, there w e have a lo to fb ack u p
than the w o rld w as again top see for nizing th at d ev elo p in g a strong ro le
to H ered o tu s, the “ fu rth er” o f h isto ry ,
o ver 3000 years. E gyptian physicians, m odel and self-im ag e pro cess is the
an d to H om er, th e G reek p o et and
A special w orkshop titled “The
k
e
y
-b
e
g
in
n
in
g
with
h
isto
ry
.
A
lread
y
,
fam ous as teachers, visited and taught
n arrato r (O d y ssey , 4 ,2 2 9 -3 3 2 ). an d
Immigration Experience: Issues for Men­
I
’ve
been
p
u
t
o
n
t
eh
“
Info
rm
atio
n
in A rabia (Saudia A rabia and Y em en ),
o f co u rse, w e h av e the “E b ers” an d
tal Health W orkers” is being offered for
P ersia (Iraq, Iran an d K u w ait), and in H ighw ay” International N etw ork w ith
o th er p apyri w ith their p rescrip tio n s
mental health professionals, social work­
alm
o
st
in
stantan
eo
u
s
access
to
u
n
i­
G reece. H ippocrates, g randfather o f
soun d in g quite m o d em . S ee m y “ P er­
ers, administrators, students and others.
versities, libraries, m useum s, archives
the great physician by that nam e, w as
sp ectiv es” co lu m n in th is p ap er to r
Sponsored by the Pacific Univer­
and
o
th
e
r
resources.
A
lso,
1
have
“
Fax
the pupil o f E gyptian. M edical know l­
sity Psychological Service Center, the
im p o rta n t A frican A m eric an c o n ­
C
o
rresp
o
n
d
e
n
ts”,
now
,
in
11
foreign
edge in G reece, fused w ith E gyptian
Pacific University D ivision o f Continu­
co u n tries w ith w hom I ex ch an g e c riti­ trib u to rs to the m ed ical p rofession
teach ing, w as h an d ed d o w n from fa
ing E ducation, and th e M ultnom ah
this
century.
th cr to son as a fam ily h eritage. In this cal histo rical in form ation.
County Oregon D epartm ent o f Social
Services-O ffice of Child and Adoles­
cent
Mental Health services, the panel
M ore than 2 5 ,0 0 0 children are
First Interstate Bank of Oregon is h ig h sc h o o ls raised $ 1 2 5 ,0 0 0 for
discussion
workshop will be held Tues­
treated at D o em b ech er each year for
helping secure the continued growth o f a Doembecher involving over 47,000 stu­
day,
March
15 from 2:10 to 4:50pm.
serious illnesses such as cancer, k id ­
statewide school volunteer program to dents. On May 6th & 7th, all schools
Location
will
be the Portland Building,
ney disease an d genetic disorders.
raise funds and friends for Doembecher w ill w rap up their cam p aig n s by ta k ­
1120
SW
5
th
Avenue
in dow ntow n Port­
T h e hospital p ro v id es treatm ent
C hildren’s H ospital in Portland. First ing p art int eh D o em b ech er T o rch
for virtually all ch ild ren regardless o f land.
Interstate has donated $25,000 for the R e la y . S tu d e n ts w ill ru n fro m
This panel presentation will pro­
the fam ily ’s ab ility to pay, and last
T
illam
ook
H
igh
School,
w
hich
raised
second consecutive year to the “Kids
vide
an overview o f the immigration
y ear p rovided m illio n s o f dollars in
Making M iracles” cam paign to be used the m o st m oney la st year, to the
experience
to Am erica and the more
u ncom pensated care. A t the sam e
to help recruit and train young volun­ D o em b ech er E ternal F lam e on the
culture-specific
stressors and mental
tim e, the ho sp ital receiv es only six
O regon H ealth Sciences U niversity
teers.
health
issues
associated
w ith Hispanic,
p ercen t o f its b u d g et from the state.
“Kids Making Miracles” helps stu­ C am pus.
dent volunteers put together fundraising
events in their com m unities.Sofar,m ore
than 190schoolsfrom O regonandsouth-
w est W ashington have expressed inter­
est tin the 1994 program. Last year,
students from 6 6 elementary, middle and
1993-94 National Sickle Cell Poster Child-9 year old Anthony Oliver
Miller has been selected as the National Association For Sickle, Cell
Disease, Inc. Poster Child and Goodwill Ambassador. He will serve
from October 1 to September 30, 1994.
ing assistan ce to th o se w h o th o ro u g h
th e ac cid e n to f birth m ust courageously
th eir co u rag e th at spurs u s on the
“ B reak T he S ick le C ycle an d Find A
seek to liv e a m ean in g fu l life. It is
C u re F o r S ickle C ell D isease.
Panel To Address Immigrant Issues
“Kids Making Miracles” Receives Large Donation
Cancer Pain
Target Of New
Federally-
Backed
Guidelines
SAFEWAY
H H S S e c r e ta r y D o n n a E .
S h a l a l a w ill a n n o u n c e n e w
g u i d e l i n e s f o r r e d u c in g p a in
c a n c e r p a tie n ts o n W e d n e s d a y ,
M a rc h 2. T h e u n d e r tr e a tm e n t
o f c a n c e r - r e la te d p a in is a n a ­
tio n a l p ro b le m a f f e c tin g m il­
lio n s o f p a t ie n t s a n d th e ir f a m i­
lie s .
T h e A g e n c y f o r H e a lth C a re
P o lic y a n d R e s e a r c h - s p o n s o r e d
g u id e lin e s w e re d e v e lo p e d b y a
p r iv a t e - s e c to r p a n e l o f le a d in g
p a i n e x p e r ts a n d c a n c e r p a ­
tie n ts .
Project. In addition to providing crisis
intervention, assessments, and family
therapy for children with severe em o­
tional problems and their families, she
consults and provides training for schools
and teachers on mental health issues
concerning immigration and students
with limited English. A part-time practi­
tioner providing training for mental
health providers, Thuy V anderlinde
holdsextensiveexperience working with
refugee populations, particularly persons
from Southeast Asia. She consults with
local community -based agencies serving
Southeast Asian clients, conducts as­
sessments for Portland Public Schools,
and is a consultant for the Multnomah
County Juvenile Justice system.
F or pre-reg is tration and m ore in ­
form ation co n tact the Pacific U niver­
sity P sychological Service C enter at
220-0390.
S a le !
Prices effective February 23 through March 1,1994 at Safeway.
Large Seedless
Navel Oranges
Extra Large Baking Potatoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25( lb
Texas Ruby Grapefruit... ..Medium. . . . . ............ 25( ea
Crisp Green Cabbage...................................... 25( lb
Fresh, Juicy Sunkist Lemons.................... 2 for 25(
Sweet Crisp Carrots. . . . . cup toppm..............2 5 (lb
Fresh Green Onions..........................................25(bu
Crisp Red Radishes..........................................25(bu
California Kiwifruit...........................................25(ea
Fresh Green Bell Peppers...............................25(ea
W h e n : 1 1 :3 0 a m , W e d n e s ­
d a y , M a rc h 2 , 1994
W here:
H u bert
H.
H u m p h r e y B ld g . A u d ito r iu m
U .S . D e p t. O f H e a th
a n d H u m a n S e r v ic e s
200 In d ep en d en ce
A v e n u e ,S W
W a s h in g t o n , D .C . 2 0 2 0 1
C o n t a c t : A H C P R P u b lic
A f f a ir s B r a n c h 3 0 1 /5 9 4 - 1 3 6 4
E x t. 173 B o b I s q u ith
E x t. 169 B o b G r if f in
E x t. 148 P a u la Z e lle r
(9 -1 o n ly )
R ussian P entecostal, and Southeast
Asian immigrants. W orkshop partici­
pants will leant about eh problems that
are faced by immigrant to America, how
the “Refugee S yndrome” impacts South­
east Asian families in terms of mental
health issues, the impact of Hispanic
cultural practices and beliefs on adjust­
ing to the dom inant Anglo culture.
Panel members facilitating the work­
shop w ill b e K aren H edden, M .S.,
P.M .H.N .P; Susana Silva-Strom mer,
M.S.W. and Thuy Vanderlinde, M 5.W .,
L.C.S.W . K aren Hedden is a Psychiat­
ric, Mental Health Nurse practitioner
working with Multnomah County pro­
viding assistance for various populations.
She practices part-time with the Minisrth-
M eier C linic in Portland. Susana Silva-
Strom mer is a managed care coordinator
for the M ultnomah County Office of
C hild and Adolescent M ental-Partners
Look In The This Week
Magazine for your Safeway
Shopping Guide for a complete
list of specials on sale this
week at Safeway!
E n jo y E x tr a S a v in g s W ith T h e
N e w "In-Store*
S a f e w a y S h o p p in g G u id e
Available at your Safeway «tore.