Amazon Healer: The Life and Times of an Urban Shaman
Medical anthropologist de Rios profiles the life and work of Don Hilde, a traditional folk healer who practices in the city of Pucallpa, Peru. Don Hilde's philosophy of healing and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques are examined in detail, and the broader context of the society in which Don Hilde works is explored. The stresses that result from rural to urban migration, poverty, and family disharmony often lead individuals in urban contexts to consult traditional healers. Don Hilde provides a striking example of the evident phenomenon in Latin America. The fact that the main part of de Rios's research was conducted in 1979 and is only now being published makes one wonder whether the conditions described persist today. The book has a scholarly slant, offering frequent citations, but it is clearly written and accessible to the lay reader as well as the anthropologist. Recommended for academic libraries.- Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, OhioCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.