Abstract:
The research on the development of digital information systems on the wisdom
of folk medicine practitioners: a case study of Ban Don Bay community, Surat Thani
Province adopted mixed methods research including qualitative research, participatory
workshop and quantitative research. The study aims to study the community context,
folk medicine practitioners and wisdom of physician of Ban Don Bay community in
Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province. The study adopted the qualitative research method
and participatory workshop to develop the digital information system for storing wisdom
of folk medicine practitioners of Ban Don Bay community, Chaiya District, Surat Thani
Province according to the concept of the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and
develop a network for transferring wisdom of folk medicine practitioners in Surat Thani
Province. The study also adopted the quantitative research method. The sampled
was selected by the purposive sampling method from folk medicine practitioners of
Ban Don Bay communities in Phum Riang, Takrob and Lemet Sub-districts in Chaiya
District, Surat Thani Province.
According to the study, it was found that the communities had a full history
of civilization and wisdom. It had been the center of dhamma since the prosperous
era of Dvaravati and Srivijaya, one of the most ancient cities in the southern part of
this region. It was the center of government and trade with foreign nations as well as
being the center of spreading religion. In general conditions, Chaiya District has 9 subdistricts and 54 villages. Three sub-districts are adjacent to Ban Don Bay: Phum Riang
sub-district, approximately 70 square kilometers (including areas in the sea) is a community
on the eastern seacoast, Takrob sub-district, approximately 74.5 square kilometers,
has its southern territory close to Ban Don Bay and Lemet subdistrict, approximately
98 square kilometers, has its easter part close to Ban Don Bay. Regarding economic
issues of all three sub-districts, most villagers earned income from small-scale fishing
such as crab and fish fishing and fish, cockles, and black tiger prawns farming. Other
villagers depended on agriculture, such as rice farming and rubber plantation. Their way
of life in the three sub-districts was mostly Buddhist, followed by Islam and used the
local dialect (Southern dialect) as the basis for daily life. According to the study of the
context of 4 folk medicine practitioners in Phum Riang sub-district, 4 folk medicine
practitioners in Takrob sub-district and 5 folk medicine practitioners in Lemet sub-district,
it was found that most folk medicine practitioners were skilled in treating many diseases
including bone treatment, herpes simplex, menopause, child diseases, malnutrition,
lymphatic problems, sprained joints, body aches, irregular menstruation and snake
bites. Medicine practitioners who treated bones, snake bites and black magic had
specific relevant skills. Folk medicine practitioners were local people who focused
happiness and comfort properly. Most of them came from local families who worked
as local fishermen and farmers, gardening and rice farming, with a middle-class status.
They could read and write and inherited knowledge from ancestors. Folk medicine
practitioners were the main successor of knowledge. Accordingly, they had an altar
to pay respect to their master. According to folk wisdom, it was found that most of
folk medicine practitioners did not have a textbook containing knowledge and wisdom
of traditional medicine but memorized the knowledge provided by ancestors. Mentioning
disease or symptoms, folk medicine practitioners had knowledge in treating similar
diseases in all three sub-districts. Their disease examinations used experience in inquiring,
observing and touching for examinations. They did not have clear details of drug, proportion and drug combination. The folk medicine practitioners said they did not
want to spread their wisdom to others easily.
However, the development of the digital information system of the wisdom
of folk medicine practitioners with the framework of System Development Life Cycle
or SDLC has been prepared by folk medicine practitioners with Mor Ya Bandon
http://moryabandon.info. This platform can be a proper model for developing a digital
information system based on the wisdom of folk medicine practitioners that meets
the needs of users.
As for the results of the study to develop a network for transferring knowledge
and wisdom of traditional medicinal practitioners in Surat Thani Province, it was found
that opinions and overall satisfaction with the use of the digital information system
were at a high level. Most people felt satisfaction in its advantage. Information, searching,
design/function and using keywords in searching are also satisfied.
Keywords: Development of Information Systems, Digital Media, Folk Medicine Practitioners,
Wisdom of Folk Medicine Practitioners, Ban Don Bay Community