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Dhaka Day by Day

The Domain of Quacks

by A S M Nurunnabi
When somebody Mis ill. It is his naluial in sliiht to try to get well quickly. For the vast majority of our people who are poor. It Initially involves a ’watt and see' game just to find if nature by Itself will help the recovery process. When that course fails, he tries a variety of po tions suggested by friends, relatives or neigh hours. In moat cases he cannot afford to go to a qualified doctor and buy his medicines. So If the suggested potions fail to yield result and If a quack doctor happens to be within his reach, he falls an easy prey to his spell, because his 'medicines' arc cheap and his demagogic manner assures him of complete recovery
In the villages these doctors comparatively hold more swuy. In the urban areas and even in a metropolitan city like Dhaka, their sway Is no less considerable. The greatest tool of their trade is their gift of the gab. This enabk-s them to easily draw and audience at any ptarc. With the oratorical qualities of a Demosthenes, the quack doctor describes the remedial qualities of his medicines for any conceivable illness under the sun-from stomach upset k» cancer. Their prescriptions for myriad maladies art-made attractive by assured cure and money refund guarantee, although the victims of their spell do not know for sure how their guanmlix-would be honoured in view of their constant movement from one place to another.
These charlatans tn most cases are past masters of ready wit and human psychology. II anyone in their audience expresses any Interest In their medicines, there is no getting away for him from their enticing tricks.
Though they can easily drew at any location, some of their favourite haunts arc any open space at Sadarghat. Motijhccl, Stadium. New-Market.
lately they have adopted with great success k
the ckxtruuw ns-illa ol cassette rccordcra, with which they record their orations and play them back an needed. Previously they used loudspeakers while addressing an audfcnrc. The iww gadget has given them several ndvan Inges. This has spared them the physical strain in repealing their address Io an audience. They ran tape their words In such a way as to exercise maximum impart on their audience. The portability of the gadget provides them with greater moMMy and iwxx-ss to larger audience al several plrax-s during a day This inivitably leads to a greater number of customers. Sona’ of them week to rnhunrr crowd-drawing power by playing popular songs on their cassette players.
The Interesting part of the story i* that wn those who do not normally believe In these potions and their curative qualities, sometimes feel the temptation to try them when any malady continues Io trouble them In spile of other treatments. Here also the demagogic influemx- of the- pedlars ixiupkxl with the cheapness of the* potions wins the day
Il is apparent IhHl the surxx'sa of their trade Is largely due to the gullibility. illHcnMy. and supcrstalion of their customers. There Is no easy way of checking this hazard to public health, unless the poor people al large are assured the light 61 education and easy access to more facilities for scientific treatment. Thal Is. of course, a tall order in a poor country like ours. Though the operation of these quacks is manifestly harmful, there is no evidence yet of any effective step for controlling fl.
McauWhik-. the- quack doctors will continue to hold their away al any place they may choose, adding an interesting facet Io the vur-iegatid srx-nario of life.