Witch doctor

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/witch-doctor

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the therapeutic approach?Employed a combination of herbal medicine, ritual, divination, and spiritual counseling
2. Why do some people call them "witch doctors"?The name "witch doctor" was made by outsiders and can sound unfair. In many places, the healer has a different local name and does not use dark magic, but fights bad magic instead.
3. How do witch doctors find out what is wrong?They talk with the patient, watch the symptoms, and sometimes use divination tools like bones or crystal balls to see what spirit or magic might be causing the sickness.

Etiology of Disease: The study of the causes and origins of diseases within a particular context.
Cosmology: A system of beliefs that explains the origin and structure of the universe.
Ethnomedicine: The study of traditional medicine, including its beliefs, practices, and practitioners.
Placebo Effect: A beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment, which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself.