Tong: The Davaravati Local Physician and the Ancient Course to Current Public Health

Abstract

The village or local physicians are the health caretakers, who medicate local patients by applying their knowledge and practices related to the local cultures and their unique identities. It is the course of life since the past until today covering birth to the last day of life.    The local physicians are differently called by each locality.  For example, the northerners call them Mor Muang (City Physician). The Northeasterners call them Mor Lam Phee Fa (Song Master of Heavenly Spirits), and so on.  These physicians play the leading roles in the local course of life. This article then presents Mor Tong, a Mon local physician believing that he is their forefather during the Davaravati age and introduces the dimensions connected to the mother and child healthcare in the context of the health affairs reflecting the present public health management.