In all the world
except the United States of America
health is a moral issue
i.e. caring for the well-being of the sick - rich, poor, robber or banker
is a collective responsibility
over here it is a money issue
Before we had doctors
our healers were Shamans
shamans use herbal remedies as placebos
their actual powers lie in psychic healing
they are gifted with empathetic ability to “feel” the pain of their patients
and in healing them
ease their own pain
the exchange of favors between shaman healer and patient
before and after treatment
relies on the gratitude of the patient
and takes place in the form of a donation
the rich give more
the poor what they can afford
Any shaman in Africa
who demands payment for treatment
is regarded by all as a practitioner of "tagati’ - black magic
sick people avoid them
only those seeking poison to kill their enemies consult them
In this respect
the medical and pharmaceutical industry
in the United States of America
is deeply steeped in “tagati”