The Promised Medicine: Fore Reflections on the Scientific Investigation of Kuru‪.‬

INTRODUCTION The above recollection of the impact of kuru on the South Fore people of the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea presents a grim picture of a socio-medical crisis. This is significant for two reasons. First, it was formed at a time when the epidemic was nearing its peak. By this time the Fore, who had initially regarded the condition as benign, recognised kuru (a Fore word which means shaking or fear) as a uniformly progressive, fatal illness caused by sorcery (Lindenbaum 1979: 2001). Second, it draws attention to the crisis that accompanied the epidemic, and hints at the manner in which the Fore currently view its impact. In this way, Tauribi's comment sets the scene for this paper, which explores dominant themes from the oral narratives of five South Fore men. These, like Tauribi, survived the epidemic and assisted in its investigation by European scientists. While much has been published on the scientific results of the kuru investigation and associated inquiries, little has been written on the Fore perspective. (1) This paper attempts to redress this imbalance.