Idabi Lokulwa Nokugula Nokufa—Ngaba Liyaphunyelelwa?
UKUGULA kuphelile, ukufa kuphelile! Kubantu abaninzi oku kusenokuvakala kungamabhongo nje. Ngaphezu koko, kunjengokuba ugqirha wezamayeza nongunjingalwazi kwizifundo ngeentsholongwane uWade W. Oliver wabhala wathi: “Kususela ekuqaleni kwembali ebhaliweyo, izifo ziye ngomlinganiselo ongathethekiyo zangunobangela wesiphelo sobomi babantu . . . Oobhubhani aboyikekayo baye ngesantya esoyikekayo bazenzela ebantwini . . . Umntu ebesoloko engakwazi ukuphelisa ukugula.”
Ngaba kukho nasiphi na isizathu sokukholelwa ukuba kungekudala izinto ziza kuguquka ngendlela engummangaliso? Ngaba inzululwazi yezamayeza sele iza kuphelisa konke ukugula mhlawumbi kunye nokufa?
Ngokungathandabuzekiyo, oogqirha nabaphandi baye benza umsebenzi oncomekayo ekulweni nezifo. Nguwuphi umntu ochubekileyo ongenakuba nombulelo ngokunyangwa kwesifo secholera, okuye ekugqibeleni kwaba nempumelelo ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane ye-19, okanye ngokuveliswa kweyeza lokugonyela ingqakaqha? Elo yeza laveliswa ngowe-1796 nguEdward Jenner ngophando awalenza kwisilonda sengqakaqha esasisenkomeni esingeyongozi kangako. Ngowe-1801, umongameli waseUnited States uThomas Jefferson wavakalisa iimvakalelo zabantu abaninzi xa wabhalela lo kaJenner esithi: “Igalelo lakho liyimbonakaliso eqinisekileyo yokuba uluntu alusayi kuze lulibale ukuba wakha waphila; iintlanga zexesha elizayo ziya kwazi ngembali kuphela ukuba ingqakaqha eyenyanyekayo yakha yakho.”
Ngaphezu koko, sikwamele sincome yaye sivakalise nombulelo ngempumelelo yophando lwezamayeza ngokunxibelelene nezifo ezinjengediphtheria (umqala omhlophe) nepoliyo. Kwaye abantu abaninzi namhlanje bangayothulel’ umnqwazi inkqubela eyenziwe kutshanje ekunyangweni kwesifo sentliziyo nomhlaza. Sekunjalo, abantu basafa sisifo sentliziyo nomhlaza. Usukelo lokuphelisa zonke izifo lubonakala lungenakufikelelwa.
Izifo “Ezitsha”
Into engumnqa yeyokuba, kwixesha lethu ekuye kulo kwaveliswa iindlela zokuxilonga ngemitha (CAT scans) notyando lokwakhiwa kwamalungu omzimba ngokutsha kuye kwangaxesha-nye kwavela izifo “ezitsha,” ezinjengesifo esithile semiphunga esiyiLegionnaires, isifo esithile sabafazi esiyitoxic shock, nombulali owaziwa kakhulu uGawulayo.
Kuyavunywa ukuba, abaninzi abaqinisekanga ngexesha lokuvela kwezi zifo. Elinye inqaku elikwiU.S.News & World Report lithi, kwiimeko ezithile, izifo ebezisoloko zikho kangangethuba elide ziye nje zaqondwa ngokuchane ngakumbi zaza zanikwa amagama amatsha. Ngokomzekelo, isifo iLegionnaires saqondwa okwesihlandlo sokuqala ngowe-1976, kodwa kusenokuba ngaphambili besichazwa phosakeleyo njenokukrala kwemiphunga. Ngokufanayo, itoxic shock ngaphambili isenokuba ibibhidaniswa nefiva egwangqa.
Sekunjalo, ngokungathandabuzekiyo izifo ezininzi zibonakala zizitsha. UGawulayo ngokungathandabuzekiyo usesona saziwayo kwezi. Esi sifo silimazayo nesibulalayo saqondwa okokuqala saza sanikwa igama ngowe-1981. Esinye isifo “esitsha” esingaziwa kangako yifiva emfusa yaseBrazil. Safunyaniswa okokuqala eBrazil ngowe-1984 yaye kuqikelelwa ukuba sibulala amaxhoba amalunga nama-50 ekhulwini.
Unyango Alukafumaneki
Ngoko, phezu kwayo nje imigudu yabantu, unyango olupheleleyo nolusisigxina lwezigulo zabantu alubonakali ngathi lusenokubakho. Kuyinyaniso ukuba umlinganiselo weminyaka ephilwa ngabantu uye wenyuka ngeminyaka emalunga nama-25 ukususela ngonyaka we-1900. Kodwa ngokuyintloko le nguqulelo iye yabangelwa bubugcisa bezamayeza obuye banciphisa ingozi yokufa ebusaneni okanye ebuntwaneni. Iminyaka yobomi ephilwa ngumntu ihleli ikumyinge waleyo ichazwe eBhayibhileni “engamashumi asixhenxe.”—INdumiso 90:10.
Ngenxa yoko yaba ngundaba-mlonyeni into yokufa kuka-Anna Williams ngoDisemba 1987 eneminyaka eli-114 ubudala. Umbhali wemihlathi kwiphepha-ndaba, ebhala ngokufa kukaNkosazana Williams, wathi: “Izazinzulu zicinga ukuba eyona minyaka mininzi enokuphilwa ngumntu yeli-115 ukusa kweli-120. Kodwa kutheni kufanele kube njalo? Kutheni umzimba womntu ufanele uphelelwe emva kweminyaka engama-70, 80 okanye kwaneli-115?”
Ngeminyaka yee-1960, izazinzulu zezamayeza zafumanisa ukuba iiseli zomntu zibonakala zinamandla okuziphindaphinda izihlandlo ezimalunga nama-50 kuphela. Xa esi sisikelo sifikelelwe, kubonakala ngathi akukho nto inokwenziwa ukugcina iiseli ziphilile. Oku kubonakala kuphikisana nengcamango yangaphambili yezazinzulu yokuba kwiimeko ezilungileyo iiseli zomntu zinokuphila ngonaphakade.
Dibanisa oko nesibakala esiye saqondwa sokuba ukubandezeleka okuninzi kwabantu kubangelwe ngumntu. Kunjengokuba omnye umphengululi emva kokucingisisa wathi ngokuchanileyo wafikelela kwisigqibo sokuba: “Izifo azoyiswanga ngonyango lwezamayeza kuphela. Imbali yezifo inxibelelene ngokusondeleyo nezibakala ezingokwentlalo nezingokokuziphatha.”
Intlangano Yempilo Yehlabathi yathi: “Siye sazifaka entlungwini ngokwethu, ngokukholelwa kwelokuba inzululwazi, oogqirha nezibhedlele ziya kufumana unyango, kunokuthi kwasekuqaleni sithintele oonobangela bokugula. Kakade ke asinakuhlala ngaphandle kweendawo zokunyamekela impilo ezibusindisa ngokwenene ubomi, kodwa masicacelwe mhlophe kukuba azongezi ‘kwimpilo’ yethu—ziyasikhusela singafi. . . . Umnqweno wokuzibhubhisa wentshayi nendla-manzi, imiphumo yokungaqeshwa engqondweni nasemzimbeni—ezi zezinye ‘zezifo ezitsha.’ Kutheni simvumela ‘ubhubhani weengozi zeendlela,’ ophulukanisa abantu nobomi uze uqongqothe oovimba bethu bemali?”
Ngaloo ndlela izifo, ukugula, ukubandezeleka nokufa ezo zinto azikapheli. Sekunjalo, sinesizathu sokukhangela phambili ngentembelo kwixesha laxa ukugula kungasayi kuphinda kubekho nokufa kungasayi kuphinda kubekho. Okulunge ngakumbi, sinezizathu eziqinisekileyo zokukholelwa ukuba elo xesha lisemnyango.
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]
“IZIFO ZASEYIPUTA”
Isibakala sokuba abantu baye balwa nezifo ngaphandle kwempumelelo ukususela kumaxesha amandulo sinokuphawulwa kwanaseBhayibhileni. Ngokomzekelo, uMoses ngendlela ebangel’ umdla wathetha ‘ngezifo zonke zaseYiputa.’—Duteronomi 7:15.
Ngokucacileyo ezi zaziquka uhlobo oluthile lwesifo seqhenqa ielephantiasis, isisu segazi, ingqakaqha, ubhubhani nesifo esithile samehlo esiyumvuma. Abantu ngexesha likaMoses basinda kwizigulo ezinjalo ubukhulu becala ngenxa yemigaqo yezempilo yodidi oluphezulu ababebekelwe yona ngomnqophiso woMthetho.
Noko ke, ukuhlolisiswa ngenyameko kwezidumbu eziqwayitiweyo zaseYiputa kuye kwaphumela ekufunyanisweni kwenqwaba yezinye “izifo zaseYiputa.” Ezi zaziquka isifo sokuqaqanjelwa ngamalungu, isifo esithile somnqonqo ispondylitis, isifo samazinyo nemihlathi, isifo sethunjana nesifo sokudumba kwamalungu. Incwadi yangaphambili yezamayeza, eyaziwa ngokuba nguMbhalo-ngqangi kaEbers, ikwakhankanya nezifo ezinjengamathumba, iinkathazo zesisu nesibindi, isifo seswekile, iqhenqa, isifo sokuwa kweenkophe nesokungeva.
Oogqirha baseYiputa yamandulo babesenza okusemandleni ukunyanga ezi zifo, abanye bede baziingcungela kwizifo ababezinyanga. Umbhali-mbali womGrike uHerodotus wabhala: “Ilizwe [laseYiputa] lizaliswe ngoogqirha; omnye unyanga izifo zamehlo kuphela; omnye ezentloko, ezamazinyo, ezesisu, okanye ezamalungu angaphakathi.” Noko ke, inkoliso ‘yenkqubo yonyango’ yaseYiputa yayiyinkohliso nje engokonqulo yaye ingasondelanga nokusondela kwinzululwazi.
Abanamhlanje oogqirha baye banempumelelo engakumbi kumlo wabo nxamnye nezifo. Sekunjalo, umphandi ngezamayeza uJessie Dobson wafikelela kwesi sigqibo sixhokonx’ ingcinga: “Ngoko ke, yintoni enokufundwa kuhlolisiso lwezifo zezizukulwana ezadlulayo? Isigqibo esingaphephekiyo sohlolisiso lobungqina sibonakala sikukuba izifo neenkathazo zempilo zemihla yamandulo azahlukanga kuyaphi kwezangoku . . . Kucacile ukuba ubuchule nomgudu wokuphanda ngabaguli azenzanga nto ingako ukuphelisa izifo.”—Disease in Ancient Man.