Women's Preponderance in Possession Cults: The Calcium‐Deficiency Hypothesis Extended
In: American anthropologist: AA, Band 83, Heft 3, S. 549-561
ISSN: 1548-1433
The preponderance of women in spirit possession cults is linked with the likelihood of deficiencies in thiamine, tryptophan‐niacin, calcium, and vitamin D in women in Old World traditional societies in which poverty and/or sumptuary rules restrict women's nutrient intakes more than those of men. The higher nutrient needs of pregnant and lactating women may exacerbate the inadequacy of their diets. It is postulated that involuntary symptoms of deficiencies affecting the central nervous system and muscles have been recognized in these societies as manifestations of spirit possession and institutionalized as a means of reducing victims' anxieties and restoring their ability to function normally