This is especially for my colleagues in good old Europe - a small account of unexpected problems in practising pharmacy in Africa. It is not that you cannot get the drugs and it is not exotic diseases. The problem is a combination of difficulty in expressing oneself and a completely different perception of health and diseases. People come into the pharmacy with funny descriptions of what they need. Look at the following examples:
"My son has a worm in the head." After questioning how he knows, the customer replied that he has seen it when washing the head. I had to consult with a local colleague to come to the conclusion that the man probably means ringworm - admittedly a stupid name for a fungal infection of the skin. The man must have heard the word and then only remembered part of it which lead to a wrong description.
"I eat too much sand." I asked the woman why and she said that it feels nice. No clue what that was about. I just told her to stop it and recommended some minerals and vitamins.
Several people were looking for a necklace or wasteband for newborns which is supposed to calm and protect them. These things are on sale in some pharmacies here and I think it is dangerous rather than protecting as the child could strangle itself.
"I want a medicine for the gut because the back and shoulders are paining when I eat." ?? Strange association, I could not find out what that should mean.
"Don't you have something to clean the stomach?" I explained to several people that they do not need to stick a bottle brush down their throat. The cleaning sometimes related to constipation, sometimes to heartburn.
"I am looking for the perfume for the room." After careful questioning and with the help of a colleage I revealed that the woman wanted naphtalene moth balls - for a good smell in the room!
By the way, the Pillendreher (I think in English it is dung beetle) is very common on farms here and it is amazing to watch them rolling their perfectly round ball until they finally bury it.
