Traditional medicine

My colleague's mother was run over as she tried to board a crowded city bus. Her foot slipped under the bus just as it started to move. Two of her toes were crushed and the tire marks were still visible on her leg when she was moved into a hospital.

Her son considered took her to a well-known masseur in Cimande near Bogor. This village is famous for Pencak Silat (Indonesian martial art). The masseur is a respected and affluent citizen of the village. He has ten rooms in his spacious house to accommodate patients.

He has no set fee for broken limbs, but Rp 15,000 per visit is normal. The woman's toes were dislocated, but the masseur deftly forced them back into their natural position. The treatment was very painful. What astonished my colleague was that the masseur eased the swelling by rubbing the afflicted part with an evil smelling ointment and then running his index finger over it. After two sessions, the patient was almost able to walk.

Traditional medicine is amazing, but what is better is that there is no set fee. If my colleague had sent his mother to a hospital he would not have been able to pay the bill.

The masseur has done a noble thing by not fixing his prices.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta