How superstition is curing anaemia in Cambodia

Abstract

Superstition has always been closely associated with medicine. Perhaps the most well-known illustration is the infamous Pandora’s box, first hinted at in 7th century BC, by the Greek poet Hesiod. In Greek mythology, Pandora is the first woman on earth who disobeys Zeus and opens the box, releasing all the evil in the world, including illness and diseases. Nonetheless, it is an earlier document, Ebers Papyrus, which evidences the intimacy between superstition and medicine. Dating back to 1550 BC, this 110-page Egyptian scroll is believed to reproduce knowledge from earlier texts, possibly 3400 BC. It illustrates the relationship between medicine and various Egyptian deities. Superstition still seems to be relevant today, at least in specific cultures. Cambodia is taken as an example in this editorial