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Patient Satisfaction with Spiritist Healing in Brazil Darrell William Lynch University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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Patient Satisfaction with Spiritist Healing in Brazil Darrell William Lynch University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 12-1996 Patient Satisfaction with Spiritist Healing in Brazil Darrell William Lynch University of Tennessee, Knoxville Recommended Citation Lynch, Darrell William, "Patient Satisfaction with Spiritist Healing in Brazil. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1996. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4225 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Darrell William Lynch entitled "Patient Satisfaction with Spiritist Healing in Brazil." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. Michael H. Logan, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Benita J. Howell, Yulan Washburn Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Darrell William Lynch entitled "Patient Satisfaction with Spiritist Healing in Brazil." I have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. �$�Michael H. Logan, Major Pro�or -- We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: �)·-�- -�- - _Id}_� () Accepted for the Council: Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Graduate School PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH SPIRITIST HEALING IN BRAZIL A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Darrell William Lynch December 1996 Copyright© Darrell William Lynch, 1996 All rights reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is dedicated in loving memory to my father, Dr. E. Gene Lynch. He was, and always will be, the eye of all the storms in my life. There are many people who played vital roles in helping me complete this thesis. I would first like to thank my advisor and chairman of my thesis committee, Dr. Michael H. Logan. He was the first person to spark my interest in studying cultural anthropology, and later in doing fieldwork in Brazil. Without his continuing faith and support (and an occasional kick in the rear) this thesis would still be no more than an idea. He has my unending appreciation and friendship. I would also like to especially thank Dr. Sidney M. Greenfield for introducing me to the subject of Dr. Fritz and for making the possibility of doing fieldwork on this subject a reality. His work provided the foundation on which this thesis is based. The fieldwork would likewise have been impossible were it not for the generous donations of time and effort of my friends and interpreters in Brazil, Aurineide Costa da Penha and Alcir Pereira. They have my enduring friendship and heartfelt gratitude. I would also like to especially thank Dr. Benita J. Howell and Dr. Yulan Washburn for serving on my thesis committee and for their insightful comments, suggestions and support in spite of my seemingly endless procrastination. I also have many friends both in the United States as well as Brazil who are much deserving of appreciation. In the U.S., I particularly want to thank Angela Cowden R.N. for encouraging me to go to Brazil and for introducing me to many of her friends there. She also provided very important, iii steadfast encouragement as well as technical consultation in the completion of this thesis. Many thanks are also due to Patty Kelly for her limitless supply of moral support and her willingness to listen patiently while I talked at length about my thesis. And to Bob Patrick for his technical support on the computer and general encouragement. I also want to thank Shannon, Jeff and David who have all, at one time or another, had to listen to me go on and on about this thesis. Your torture is ended! In Brazil, I especially want to thank Bosco and Odirene de Almeida. Odirene taught me my first words of Portuguese and Bosco graciously took me into his family's home when I arrived in Brazil and made me feel welcome. They are wonderful friends and I hope to see them both again very soon. Special thanks are also due to Dr. Harbanes Lal Arora for introducing me to Spiritist members at the Center and helping me get access to the patients. I also want to thank my friends and informants at the Spiritist Center, Sara, Cleide, and Maria, who provided me with invaluable contextual information for this thesis. Also special thanks to Josenio and Soccorro as well as Fabeo and Shirley for their friendship and generous hospitality. And thanks to Ricardo for teaching me the lingua da rua. And to Chagas, saude! Perhaps most of all, I wish to thank my mother, Doris Lynch. Her steadfast love, faith and support are always unconditional. Finally, I want to thank God (and any elevated spirits) who helped me out of my academic foxholes. iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to assess patient satisfaction with Spiritist healing in Brazil. The data utilized consist of forty personal interviews of Spiritist patients conducted by the author during a seven month stay in Brazil. The study focuses primarily on the outcomes of the surgeries of Dr. Fritz, a well known Spiritist healer in Brazil, as seen from the point of view of the patients. The study finds that a clear majority of the patients expressed belief that their treatments were successful. This is particularly impressive in view of the fact that a majority of the patients had seen professional medical doctors for the same illnesses and were largely · unsatisfied with the treatment they received through modern medicine. Various possible explanations for the success of the Spiritist surgeries are discussed. These include: the strength and appropriateness of the healing system in its cultural context, the extensive use of powerful symbolism in both the ritual preparations and the surgeries themselves, and the role of the placebo effect in symbolic healing. Certain trends in the types of illnesses for which the surgeries appear to have greater success are also suggested. The study makes it clear, however, that further inquiry into this subject is necessary to make an accurate assessment. V TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 1. Introduction Purpose of the Study 1 Spiritism and Dr. Fritz 5 2. Background of the Study A Brief History of Spiritism 15 Spiritist Disease Theory and Treatments 25 Fortaleza and the Spiritist Center 35 3. Research Context Religious and Medical Pluralism in Brazil 43 Theories of Symbolic Healing 51 4. Fieldwork Methods Data Collection and Constraints 61 The Interviews and the Survey Instrument 69 5. Data Presentation and Discussion Patient Preparation 78 The Surgeries 86 Therapeutic Results 91 Patient Satisfaction 97 Related Issues 101 6. Summary and Conclusions 106 vi BIBLIOGRAPHY 111 APPENDICES 117 Appendix A: Interview Questions 118 Appendix B: Summary of Results 122 Appendix C: Patient Summaries 132 VITA 146 vii CHAPTERl Introduction Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to assess patient satisfaction with Spiritist healing in Brazil. Questions for future research will also be identified by examining field data on the attitudes of patients toward the treatment they received, as well as their perceptions of the Spiritist movement itself. The data include the interviews of forty Spiritist patients conducted by the author from January through April, 1992 in Fortaleza, Brazil. Observational data on patient preparation for Spiritist treatment, as well as first-hand descriptions ·of Spiritist surgeries witnessed by the author are also presented. In the view of the author, the data clearly show that the majority of the subjects possess a high level of satisfaction with the Spiritist treatment. This conclusion is based upon the high percentage of subjects who believe they received therapeutic effects, and upon the overwhelmingly positive reaction by the majority of subjects toward their experiences with Spiritism in general. Some possible explanations as to how Spiritist healers elicit these positive reactions will also be examined. The author first became interested in Spiritism and Spiritist healers when Dr. Sidney M. Greenfield of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee gave a lecture on the subject to the University of Tennessee Anthropology Department in the Spring of 1991. Dr. Greenfield's lecture focused primarily on the surgeries performed by the spirit, Dr. Fritz, who operated through the mediumship of Jose Carlos Ribeiro and the now deceased Dr. Edson Queiroz. He explained that Spiritists believe Dr. Fritz, a German medical 1 doctor who died in 1917, incorporates himself into, or takes over the physical body of, Queiroz, Ribeiro and other mediums in order to perform physical surgeries upon patients. These operations are conducted without the use of anesthesia or antiseptics. Dr. Greenfield also showed videos which captured some of the more dramatic and invasive surgeries where a variety of unsanitized medical and other instruments were used. In one video clip, a pair of 4 to 5 inch long surgical clamps was inserted into the back of a patient and forced upward between the spine and the skin to the hilt. In another instance, a buzz saw was used to make a shallow incision up the length of the back along the spine. In these, as well as other cases, those receiving the surgery expressed little or no pain.
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