Volksmedizin#

Folk Medicine, collective term for the knowledge of diseases and methods of treatment that exists within a population. In many cases, methods of folk medicine originated in past practices of classical medicine and are either natural or handed-down methods of treatment and remedies, which can, for the most part, be produced at minimal cost. They can also take the form of preventive measures (e.g. amulets). Even after the Second World War lay doctors still had an important function, particularly in rural areas. They supplied their knowledge and remedies against payment of a small fee or a voluntary donation. A well-known specimen of these so-called "doctor-farmers" or "bone fixers" was Johann Reinbacher from Styria (popularly called "Hoellerhansl", 1866-1935). The "Wender" (literally, "wenden" is here used to mean "turning around evil") also treated sick animals by means of "analogical magic". In some respects, the irrational, mythical and magical elements show parallels with practices of ghost healers who are still active in the Philippines today.

Literature#