But You Don't HAVE to Look Like a Tree

I discovered a new series in the Science channel a few weeks ago called Humanology.   The episode called "Tree Man: A Search for the Cure" caught my attention.  I settled onto the upstairs futon with my kitty to watch the story of Dede Banatang from Indonesia.  He developed growths that looked like tree branches on his hands and feet after a cut on his leg healed at age 21.  He had no use of his hands and could not care for his children or work because of his condition.

Dede wanted to work, get married, and care for his children properly.  He and all of the people interviewed stated that God willing, a cure would come.  In order to find a cure, you need to know what you are trying to cure.  Doctors in Indonesia never attempted to find out what was causing these huge growths.  Their treatment plan was to cut back the growths periodically.  But, they would start growing back before they could all be cut.

His story caught the attention of Dr. Gaspari from the University of Maryland, who went to Indonesia to meet with Dede.  He took samples and found that this was just a Human Papiloma virus gone wild. Common warts!  He also had untreated Hepatitis B and tuberculosis.  Since he had a low white blood cell count and he had multiple infections in his body, his skin was not shedding normally and the warts were growing to a very large size. 

The documentary focused on the struggle between this American doctor that wanted to cure him, and the Indonesian doctors that just wanted to remove the growths and graft new skin.  Though Gaspari stressed that the warts would even appear on grafted skin, the surgeries remained on the schedule.  The quick fix was on the Indonesian agenda, even if it meant more suffering in the end for the patient.

It has taken me a while to sit down and actually write about the show that I watched nearly a month ago.  I was simply appalled at how this man was treated.  I have not found a way to address it; but the DVR is filling up again and the husband is annoyed.  Before I start, I apologize in advance to my Muslim friends out there for anything that may seem insensitive to you.  

To me, there is an intrinsic link between culture, religion, and psychology.  I find that many people don't concern themselves with what religion someone is when thinking about how they act or do things.  This goes for whole societies also.  Most people do not know a thing about other religions besides what the press feeds them or what they may have learned in that token world religions class.  But, even if someone is not religious, the predominant religion in their culture and family has a strong impact on their morals, behavior, and their thoughts.

Though religion was mentioned in literally one sentence of this whole show, I feel it is the root of why poor Dede went through as much suffering as he did.  Though I am far from ignorant about Islam, I do not think like a Muslim nor can I wrap my head around many of the beliefs or thought processes of a Muslim.  I would love to understand more about the mindset of Islamic Medicine after watching this.  I am well aware that my anger about this show comes from my ignorance on the topic.

From what I know, there are varying degrees of concern with Islamic Law among Muslim doctors.  Some are completely western in their style and methodology while others strictly adhere to law and rely on herbal medicine more than modern treatments.  I wonder on which side of this scale the Indonesian doctors in this film are.

Of more concern to me is the Muslim mindset about illness.  How I have come to understand it, everything that happens to a person, good or bad, is a way to experience God, illness included.  I can grasp this.  I have a hard time dealing with the thought that removing disease is removing ones experience with God.  If the disease is an experience with God, isn't the treatment and cure?

Without Islam, the western world as we know it would not even exist.  Europeans would not have known many of the scientific bases if Muslims had not introduced them.  In my opinion, Islam is the most scientific of all of the major world religions.  What other holy text besides the Qu'ran mentions the "Big Bang" , paths of interstellar objects, sperm creating life, and genes?

It seems to me like there is a disconnect here that can be potentially fatal.  Medical practitioners belonging to the most scientific faith treating diseases for which they have not attempted to name.  If Islam was at the forefront of ancient medicine, why is it running backward now?