Cancer du col de l’utérus et thérapeutiques endogènes chez les femmes de Bafoussam de l’ouest Cameroun. Une contribution à l’anthropologie médicale

Abstract

The study on “Cervical cancer and endogenous therapeutics among women in Bafoussam (West Cameroon). A contribution to medical anthropology” comes from the observation that, cervical cancer being considered among the major public health problems, is of capital importance. The discovery that it can be treated early has allowed biomedicine to put in place an entire arsenal of preventive and curative care in the fight against this cancer, for several years now. But this does not change anything in patients' recourse to endogenous therapies. An attempt to understand this phenomenon in the city of Bafoussam was our major concern in this study. This concern leads us to ask ourselves a main question which is to know what are the endogenous therapies used by women in the town of Bafoussam to deal with cervical cancer? Followed by secondary questions. From this main question also arises, a main hypothesis formulated as follows: the endogenous therapies used by the women of Bafoussam are, herbal decoctions, traditional rites, traditional African medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, self-medication, prayers. Monitoring of secondary hypotheses. From this main hypothesis arises the general research objective: to describe the endogenous therapies used by women in the town of Bafoussam to remedy cervical cancer. The methodology was twofold, namely documentary research and field research. Regarding the field research, we relied on the qualitative method for the collection of field data, with techniques and tools such as: direct observation, semi-structured interview, interview guide, a camera telephone, tape recorder etc. Three theories were mobilized for a content analysis: functionalism, social representations and ethnomethodology. At the end of this research we draw the following conclusions: In Bafoussam, cervical cancer is considered both a chronic or incurable disease, and sometimes seen from the perspective of a natural disease. The opinion depends on the experience of the interlocutor, following this image and the devastation caused by this disease. Despite biomedical efforts, this cancer still remains the second most common cancer in women, causing most deaths. This is the reason why patients resort to traditional medicine or endogenous therapies in the hope of regaining their health. Not having the pretension of having explored the holistic nature of this pathology and endogenous therapeutics, we propose for future studies an observation of patients suffering from cervical cancers within another environment.