Malayalam

ūtu “blowing [away disease]”

from ūtuka “to blow”

In the practice of viṣavaidya-s (Physicians specializing in the treatment of poisonous bites), one of the most important therapeutic procedures performed in the initial stage of snake bite treatment is ūtu-cikitsā, the blowing therapy. One of the textual references for this method of treatment is a Malayalam medical text entitled Jyōtsnika [Moonlit night].

Prochain séminaire

Jeudi 10 mai 2012

de 11 h à 13 h salle 1, 105 bd Raspail 75006 Paris

Anthony Cerulli

(Hobart and William Smith Colleges)

Anthony Cerulli's scholarly interests include Kerala History, Sanskrit and Malayalam Literature as well as History of Medicine

Ritual Practice, Medical Practice: The Case of oothu

In this lecture, I use the medical practice of oothu (Malayalam: "blowing") among toxicologists in Kerala, South India as a lens through which to query the association between medical activity and ritual activity. After providing a sketch of the textual history and clinical practice of medical "blowing," I consider three aspects of oothu — social practice, the creation of order amid instability, and signification — in order to address the question: Are there rituals in medicine and, if there are, what constitutes a "medical ritual" as such?