Voodoo in the general hospital. A case of hexing and regional enteritis
S. C. Cappannari, B. Rau, H. S. Abram and D. C. Buchanan
We have observed the case of a hexed patient that emphasizes the interplay
between modern medical practice and the influence of a supernatural voodoo
subculture. Psychosocial stresses involved in the patient's illness
(regional enteritis) added to the complexity of the clinical problem. The
presence of ambivalence in the patient and her mother concerning their
systems of belief, and their unwillingness to accept totally the treatment
modalities of either modern medicine or voodoo, probably prevented the
patient's predicted death.
