Border Medicine
Brett Hendrickson
NYU Press
<p>Mexican American folk and religious healing, often referred to as <i>curanderismo</i>, has been a vital part of life in the Mexico-U.S. border region for centuries. A hybrid tradition made up primarily of indigenous and Iberian Catholic pharmacopeias, rituals, and notions of the self, <i>curanderismo</i> treats the sick person with a variety of healing modalities including herbal remedies, intercessory prayer, body massage, and energy manipulation. <i>Curanderos</i>, "healers," embrace a holistic understanding of the patient, including body, soul, and community.<p><i>Border Medicine</i> examines the ongoing evolution of Mexican American religious healing from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. Illuminating the ways in which <i>curanderismo</i> has had an impact not only on the health and culture of the borderlands but also far beyond, the book tracks its expansion from Mexican American communities to Anglo and multiethnic contexts.While many healers treat...</p></p>