CHOGDAI: THE KHOSHUT BONE DOCTOR
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This video is about a Khoshut bone doctor in Bayangol. Chogdai, born in 1958, has been practising setting dislocated bones for more than forty years. In most cases, Chogdai explains in this video, he diagnoses bone dislocations in three steps: see, touch, and ask. Seeing and touching are the main processes, whereas asking if the individual has hidden chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, is crucial for treatment, as the bone setting is painful, and most people are unable to endure it. Regarding the treatment, in the past, patients were often bound with camel mane hair after soaking it in salt water. The saltwater served as an antibiotic, while the mane hair protected against serositis. “However, nowadays, although clean and sanitised bandages and antibiotics to substitute these traditional materials, it is the knowledge we possess that cannot be substituted by new technologies,” said Chogdai. Before treating dislocated bones, most folklore bone doctors would carefully observe if there were other visible flesh wounds. If so, the patient must be treated in a hospital before setting the bone. In contrast to other bone doctors in Khoshut County, Chogdai often mixes traditional methods with modern medicines and makes his special antibiotic gels. Chogdai believes that it is the knowledge of a mobile pastoralist that has been improving over the centuries, despite claims that Mongolian medicine is greatly influenced by Tibetan medicine. They call a bone doctor “Otoch,” other doctors who listen to pulses and give medicines “Emch,” and people who conduct spells “Tarinch,” etc. In most cases, Chogdai treats four to five patients who visit his home each day, and some Chogdai travels through the Bayangol region to treat. In a year, Chogdai treats about 1,000 patients, including locals and those from other regions. Chogdai said, “I see my deeds as collecting fortune for myself, not for money.” According to his experiences as a bone doctor, Chogdai said that although people nowadays have sufficient foods to keep healthy, their lack of exercise leads them to have softer bones than in the past, making them more prone to breaks or dislocations.