RESUMO
The custom of wearing labrets has a long tradition. Labrets appeared independently several thousand years ago in various culture groups in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Today, apart from diverse body modifications as increasingly practiced in western civilisations, lip plates and plugs are found among a small number of tribal groups only in Africa and Amazonia. We summarise the history of labrets in different societies, describe medical consequences of wearing lip plates and plugs for jaws and teeth and address relevant cultural issues.
Assuntos
Piercing Corporal/história , Características Culturais/história , África , Brasil , História do Século XX , História do Século XXI , História Antiga , HumanosRESUMO
Various forms of body modification may be observed in sub-Saharan Africa. Hypotheses and theories of scarification and tribal marking in sub-Saharan Africa are described, plus the procedure of scarification, examples from several African countries, assumed effects in prevention and treatment of diseases, and the medical risks resulting from unsterile manipulation.
Assuntos
Modificação Corporal não Terapêutica , Cultura , Medicina , África Subsaariana , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , RiscoRESUMO
This paper reviews the practice and ritual traditions of infant oral mutilation, drawing on a literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar, historical reports, relevant textbooks, NGO materials and personal observations of the authors.