Folk medicine in nor j; hwestern Argentina: "enfermedad del susto" (fright sickness) and' Ojeadura" (evil eye)

Abstract

The etiology of the «evil eye» is rooted in desire, channeled and amplified through the eyes, precisely when that desire, expressed in the unfulfilled need to touch, does not become a tangible reality. Desire, envy, and admiration are the elements presently associated with the eyes through which disease enters the body. The use of the colour red, as in other cultuijes, is also a part of this process. In Argentina mothers still use stitching with a red thread or canvas to cure of prevent hiccups, dyspepsias in lactating women, and the «enfermedad del susto». The author of the present article, through the use of these three elements, illustrates two illnesses, the «enfermedad del susto» and «ojeadura», so deeply rooted and widespread in folk medicine in northwestern Argentina, thereby opening a door for historical and anthropological investigations in the region.