ABSTRACT
There being no Natnís in Bengal, Bediyá women travel about the country with a bag, containing a variety of drugs, a cupping horn (Singá), and a scarificator (Náran). They attract attention by bawling ‘To tattoo, to cup, and to extract worms from decayed teeth!’ They also prescribe for female disorders. It is said that small grubs are kept in a bamboo tube, and while the patient’s attention is occupied by the talk of the operator, a maggot is presented as if it had been extracted from the hollow tooth. For this trick she receives a suitable fee.
