Cauterization in Arabic culture (Essay Sample)

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Cauterization in Arabic culture
Commonly referred to as Kaiy in Arabic culture, Cautery is one of the most traditional forms of therapy in Arabian culture and has been used for many centuries. Ancient Arabs believed in the therapeutic importance of fire as cautery. Although Prophet Muhammad ruled against cauterization because of the use of fire, its painful procedures and the unpredictability of its results, cauterization was still prone in the Arab world. One of the reasons why cautery was used in Arab culture and is still used today is that the Arabs/Muslims needed and still need a curative therapy (Ben-Arye, Frenkel, Klein and Scharf, 395). Today, cautery uses metal sticks or iron nails. By integrating other forms treatment in treating diseases such as ulceration, cauterization was also applied. Cauterization was used in the whole Saudi Arabian kingdom as a surgical technique. During those times, surgery was not well appreciated. Cauterization was done by trained traditional doctors. Trained physicians who practiced contemporary surgery were condemned since it was prone to bad results compared to the traditional cauterization. Arabic physicians used cauterization as a form of surgery. This was done for both external and internal diseases. The Arabians believed in the formation of pus in wounds in order to induce healing (Gabriel, 208). Cauterization was not practiced by anybody. There were traditional trained physicians who were trained by other physicians. Though women were viewed as secondary figures in the Arabic culture, many of them were involved in traditional healing methods such as cauterization (Leppert, and Peipert, 11). One of the most famous healers was Avicenna. Cauterization was also used by psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients in Saudi Arabia. Most of those who practiced cauterization were ignorance of contemporary medicine and were probably coerced by their parents into practicing cauterization.
The practice of cauterization involves burning of a body part to either close off that part or remove it. This process is known as cautery. The process destroys some tissues and removes undesired growth or prevents further infections. Cauterization was and is still a substitute of antibiotics in Arabian culture. It was widely spread and recognized for treatment of wounds (Gabriel, 209). Just like in a traditional Arab culture, cauterization is still effective in the closing of amputations and stopping of severe blood loss as well as preventing of exsanguinations. Actual cautery uses a metal device where a metal is red heated and applied to form blisters and stop bleeding. The reason why cauterization, despite the invention of modern medicine, has still remained a practice in Arab culture is that it can cure many diseases. For example, cancer is a disease known from ancient times and is even mentioned by early Iranian physicians such as Avicenna, Rhazes among others. The understood different kinds of cancer and differentiated between cancer tumors and normal tumors. For large tumors, such physicians recommended other methods of treatment. However, for small tumors and tumors that are far from internal body organs, such physicians recommended cauterization to be done after surgical operations. Besides, breast augmentation performed with cauterization is seen as faster way of recovery since it is associated with less bruising and bleeding. Most surgeons, today, use cauterization in many of their operations. Cauterization has been used from one decade to another and is proofed to reduce bleeding. When used in breast augmentation operation, it leads to quick recovery. Furthermore, cauterization can cure nose bleed. Many nosebleeds can be stopped through Cauterization which burns the blood vessel from which blood is coming from (Ben-Arye, Frenkel, Klein and Scharf, 401).
Mainstream medicine is better than traditional cauterization. Due to mainstream medicine, the practice of cauterization has decreased. Many people have acquired knowledge and accepted western medicine. However, there are those who still have trust in cauterization since it is still used in the practice of mainstream medicine. Though its practice has changed due to technology and wide research, the purpose of cauterization, whether done traditionally or in modern medicine, remains the same (Parker and Mathews, 3). Though mainstream medicine has come up with other less painful methods of stopping bleeding and healing wounds, as well as therapy, cauterization is still accepted among many in the Arab culture especially those who are still ignorant of medical inventions and who have little knowledge about mainstream medicine. However, traditional form of cauterization has been replaced by modern cauterization. Mainstream medicine has taken over traditional healing practices. Today, there are improved anesthetics that reduce the pain during the process of cauterization. Besides, despite the traditional cauterization that used metal rods and iron nails, mainstream medicine has introduced chemical cautery and electo-cautery which perform the same purpose as traditional cauterization (Parker and Mathews, 9). Mainstream medicine has also replaced tr...