Psychic surgery involves the surgeon removing tissue from the patient's body using his or her hands. Is this a case of fraud or an alternative treatment form?
Psychic surgery is practiced in the Philippines and Brazil. Practitioners known as psychic doctors or psychic surgeons claim that they can remove tumors and other items (bones, pus, etc.) from a patient's body. They also claim to be able to use their hands to pass through the tissues of a patient's body.
Ze Arigo
One of these psychic surgeons was a Brazilian peasant named Ze Arigo (born Jose Pedro de Freitas). As a young adult, Arigo's sleep was broken by the sound of a mysterious voice accompanied by visions of a man wearing surgical clothes performing a great number of operations. This mysterious figure was also seen consulting with other physicians.
Dr. Fritz
In 1955, the spirit introduced himself to Arigo as "Dr. Fritz." Dr. Fritz explained that hwe was a German surgeon who had died during World War I. Arigo's career as a healer had begun. Arigo saw up to 1,500 patients each day. His office was small; all he had was a table and a chair. Of all the thousands of people treated by Arigo, no one died or experienced a worsening of his or her condition due to the psychic surgeon's treatment.
His methods were observed by local doctors, who were unable to explain his methods. They did, however, agree Arigo's treatment methods were successful. Arigo explained that he was not the healer. Instead, he was performing under the direction of Dr. Fritz. None of his patients were asked about their symptoms. The only information they were asked for was their name and address. If someone tried to explain the reason for their visit, they were told, "I already know." And Arigo was right. "Dr. Fritz" would never accept a fee from his patients.
The Other Side of the Story
The National Council Against Health Fraud has advised consumers not to consider psychic surgery as a viable treatment option. The Council warns that seeking treatment from a psychic doctor may cause harm by keeping patients from seeking "quality medical treatment."
Psychic surgery involves the surgeon removing tissue from the patient's body using his or her hands. No anesthetics are used. The incision is both invisible and painless. Skeptics view psychic surgery was nothing more than a slight-of-hand trick.
The "trick" is performed as follows:
The practitioner pinches or rolls the skin in the area where the operation is to be performed. The next step is to reach under the folded skin. This will look to an observer as if the surgeon is reaching into the patient's body. The surgeon will have palmed a small bag of chicken entrails. The entrails are shown to the patient and observers as the "diseased tissue" the surgeon has just removed from the patient's body.
In spite of the allegations of fraud associated with psychic surgery, some patients report an improvement in their symptoms after receiving this form of "treatment." Could this be the placebo effect in action or are some patients actually being healed?
Related Article: Psychic Abilities
