Da Root is on Me

When in Medical School, I had planned to go into Orthopedic Surgery and practice Sports Medicine. However, as I have been discussing , there were various events and happenings in the Field of Psychiatry to where it captured me quite unexpectedly.

In the previous Blog I was discussing African American beliefs among the Population of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. In particular the belief in Hexes and Spirits. The Hexes that originate from a Person meant to do you harm is called "The Root". I did have several Patients that intrigued me with dabbling in the Black Arts while in medical School, thus leading me further down the path of Psychiatry as a Career.

There was in the Charleston , South Carolina VA hospital, a patient, named Jonas, who was there when I arrived for my first day of the rotation, who would not eat or drink. He rarely slept and remained Mute for much of the time. He was from the Frogmore area near my current Hometown of Beaufort, which was heavily influenced by Hoodoo and Belief in the Root.

He had reached a critical point after being on the Psych ward for about a 10 days, where we had to continue IV hydration and install a feeding tube. We had very little understanding of what was happening to him. he was given medication for Depression, Psychosis and worked up thoroughly by the Medical team without an answer forthcoming as to what he was suffering from.

As time went by, we truly thought he was going to die, and called his Family who had not been in contact with him since his admission.

It was while they visited that they very furtively told the Chief Resident and myself that Jonas had the "Root" put on him because he had slept with a Friend's wife. This was confirmed with a very weak, but wide-Eyed Jonas, only by him nodding his head slightly. The family had ideas of how to help and so did the Resident.

Our attending Professor of Psychiatry was very disinclined to believe in "This Root Foolishness, The Man is Psychotically Depressed and we need to do ECT".

However between the Family and my resident's knowledge....we consulted a local Root Doctor, who had a shop in downtown Charleston.

Knowing the Attending's Disregard for this, we secretly brought the Root Doctor in for a Consultation. Dressed in a Light Blue Suit and Wearing Blue Shades, "Doctor Fox", brought in a bag of jars, powders, liquids all designed to take away the Root. First he was paid by a Brother of Jonas with some money chipped in by myself and the other Medical Students.

That night he made his Diagnosis that a Root had been put on Jonas and that he would surely die..unless drastic Measures were taken. Dr. Fox was in charge of most of this, but he did task us with obtaining Grave Dust from a Famous Criminal in the Area. We did not know of any, and were not that excited to be caught digging in graves. So that night we brought in a bucket full of some fine sand found in the VA Hospital Parking lot.

Apparently after much Preparation Doctor Fox came in Same Suit, Same Shades. The nurses looked the other way as we made a procession down the Hall. My Part in this was carting the "Grave Dust" which Doctor Fox had transferred into a small Coffin Shaped container.

We went into Jonas' Room, he looking like Death warmed over. The Root Doctor spoke in a Sing Song Voice and we were kicked out. White Folks probably decreasing his potency.

However, I did hear him tell Jonas that the sand we dug up from the Parking lot was from Pee Wee Gaskins' Grave, an infamous mass murderer. He lined the "Grave Dust" in a circle around the bed. He had told us the purpose of the Dust from an evil person's Grave would still have such evil powers that it would "Out-Evil" the Root put on Jonas. An Anti-Root Force Field, I imagined.

Well all this went on for almost an hour, Family and us waiting outside the Room expectantly.

Suddenly the door flew open and out strode a satisfied looking Doctor Fox...he didn't speak or look at us at all, but went straight for the exit, confidence in his long step.

We stumbled over each other to get in the room. There in the Room was Jonas, weak but pulling out IVs , Feeding tubes...which had to hurt like hell. the IV sites were bleeding nicely which gave us something to do, staunching the bleeding.

Jonas got out of bed Wobbly, but on his own, took off his hospital Gown. He put his pants,shirt and shoes on, and asked for Dinner.

He went Home, a new man, still weak in body, but strong in spirit, the very next day.........