And there were some
who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in
the land-- but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities
of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases,
to which men were subject by the nature of the climate. (Alma 46:40)
The following from Margaret and Stephen Bunson's
Encyclopedia of Ancient Mesoamerica (1996; s.v. "Maya Priests") might
have some interesting ramifications for Alma 46:40 (esp. as Alma served as the high
priest):
The Maya priests also
practiced medicine throughout the region. Some illnesses were thought to be the
work of evil spirits or the disfavor of the various deities. In some regions
the people left food out in the open to placate the dwarf demons who were
thought to lurk nearby in order to inflict illness upon the unsuspecting. The
custom of leaving food offerings is still practiced in modern Yucatan regions.
The priests were
skilled at recognizing certain symptoms and signs of illnesses, despite the
superstitious or magical connotations associated with the practice of medicine
by the common people. Treatments included dosing with medicinal herbs, mineral
spirits and potions that might contain worms, animal excrement, urine blood,
crocodile testicles, bird fat and other offal. The priests diagnosed the
physical condition and then conducted elaborate ceremonies employing fetishes,
divination and other magical incantations, probably because the people demanded
a visible display of power and concern. The priest-physicians were highly
skilled in their art, reported to having remedies for ailments ranging from
toothache to insanity. As the various codices, historical documents and
inscriptions attest, the Maya priests were not superstitious vagrants but an
educated class of people with skills and resources derived from centuries of
practice. They were of the aristocratic castes and thus shared in the educational
requirement of that class. As a result, the priests had a wide and far-reaching
knowledge of the human condition as well as the more specialized aspects of
temple ritual for their role in day-to-day ceremonies and observances.
(Margaret R. Bunson and Stephen M. Bunson, Encyclopedia of Ancient
Mesoamerica [New York: Facts on Files, Inc., 1996], 139)
