The sick flock to healing touch of Joko the bull
The sick flock to healing touch of Joko the bull
By Gin Kurniawan
YOGYAKARTA (JP): All eyes were fixed on the woman with her
arms clasped tightly around a man dressed only in shorts.
"Come on Joko," she commanded.
A bull appeared from behind the man and began to nuzzle his
spine. He then licked his arms, waist and legs.
"That's enough for now," the middle-aged woman told the man
after 10 minutes. "Come back tomorrow."
He slipped an envelope containing money into her hand and said
thanks.
This scene was played out in a stable in the Tulalasan village
of Bambanglipuro district, some 20 kilometers from Yogyakarta.
The woman, Cecilia Subini, and her husband Florentinus Suparmo
believe their bull Joko Andhini has saliva which can cure any
illness. The man on this day was undergoing treatment for
arthritis.
About 100 people suffering from different health problems
crowd the couple's home everyday. They come from all over Java,
including Jakarta. Ailments range from the minor, such as rashes,
to arthritis, paralysis, stroke, kidney problems, diabetes,
tumors and cancer. Some couples are seeking fertility.
When Joko refuses to lick a patient, Subini opens his mouth
and grabs a handful of saliva. She then rubs it over the
patient's body.
Some patients are rubbed with Joko's urine. "They believe that
this will heal skin problems," Subini said.
Others patients drink the bull's urine.
The power of belief in Joko's healing touch appears to be the
main healing element among the patients. Take the case of Mangun
Tugiyo, a retired policeman who is diabetic. Medication at a
local public hospital failed to lower glucose levels of the 76-
year-old.
He suffered embarrassment from almost incessant and
uncontrollable urination.
"I was near despair," explained the father of seven. "Doctors
could not heal my problem."
When he heard of Joko Andhini in the middle of last year,
Tugiyo's hopes for recovery were restored.
The bull licked him twice and Tugiyo felt he was healed. "I
have no more problems controlling my bladder and my glucose
levels sank dramatically," Tugiyo said.
Miracle bull
The remarkable story started when Suparman bought a seven-
month-old calf on Oct. 31, 1995, from a cow trader in a
neighboring village for Rp 1,175,000. There was nothing unusual
about the animal.
"I was interested in buying it because it was a young male
calf and the price was right," Suparman said.
An elementary school principal, Suparman was devoted to
raising the bull, which joined two other cows on his land. He
gathered grass and dried rice husks, the calf's staple diet, from
the fields after school hours. At dusk he could be seen pushing a
cart laden with the items towards his home.
Suparman had suffered from a litany of health problems due to
his advancing age and hard work. His back hurt since he incurred
a slipped disk three years ago. He tired easily and the daily
bike trip to school made his arms stiff. He visited a doctor but
it did not solve his problems.
One evening in March of last year, Suparman fed the bull and
started to stroke Joko. The calf responded by licking his hands
and Suparman experienced a strange sensation he had never felt
before.
"It felt like a massage," he said. He took off his clothes,
allowing the calf to lick his back and head. The same sensation
ran through his spine.
"It was quite pleasant," he recalled. Suparman repeated the
"treatment" for three consecutive days. Miraculously, his back
pain disappeared.
Suparman remained skeptical. He persuaded his older brother
Supardjo to allow the bull to treat him for a stiff neck
resulting from high blood pressure. Supardjo also doubted at
first. But after Joko Andhini licked his neck several times, the
stiffness disappeared and his blood pressure returned to normal.
"I was then fully convinced of Joko Andhini's healing powers,"
said Suparman, who is active in his church.
News of the healings spread quickly and the sick started to
visit. They pushed envelopes with money into the hands of Subini.
Some of the envelopes contain small amounts of Rp 1,000 or Rp
5,000, but others hold much more.
"These are blessings from God," Subini said. From the
voluntary contributions, the couple has purchased a car, laid
their floor with ceramic tiles and sent their children to
college.
Subini says the payments are not compulsory and that she has
often returned donations from patients who could ill-afford them.
Mind over matter
Is the story of Joko really a miracle or is there a logical
scientific explanation?
Prof. Soedomo Reksohadiprodjo, lecturer at the School of
Veterinary Science of Gadjah Mada University, believes the
healing method closely resembles the approach of soothsayers in
instilling in their patients the belief they can be cured,
literally using mind over matter.
"If people feel they are healed, then this has come about by
the power of suggestion," he said.
No research has been conducted on any health benefits of cow
saliva or urine on humans. Reksohadiprodjo cautioned about cow
diseases that are transmittable to humans, including anthrax and
"mad cow disease". He advised that Joko should be examined by a
veterinarian.
"If he is healthy, there is no harm in continuing with these
treatments, even if the power of suggestion plays an important
role in the healings," he said.