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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Term Paper ID:39262
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Essay Subject:
This paper provides an analysis of Anne Fadiman s account of the cultural barriers ...... More...
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4 Pages / 900 Words
1 sources, 8 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
This paper is an analysis of Anne Fadiman’s account of the cultural barriers to effective healthcare delivery between Western physicians and a Hmong patient with epilepsy in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, revealing the cultural obstacles to effective healthcare delivery in the 1980s U.S.
Paper Introduction:
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Introduction Anne Fadiman\'s account of the cultural barriers to effectivehealthcare delivery between Western physicians and a Hmong patient withepilepsy in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down reveals the culturalobstacles to effective healthcare delivery in the s in the U S Diagnosed with epilepsy in at the Merced County Medical Center MCMC Lia Lee\'s condition serves to illustrate the highly significant differenceswith respect to illness and healthcare in the U S and Laos
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The Lees and theirculture are often viewed as ignorant, including their healthcare practices. We see that these cultural differences lead to differentapplications in medical practice. In contrast to the Hmong worldview on the etiology of Lia'sepilepsy, American doctors adopt the biochemical and pharmacologicalapproach typical of Western medicine. As Neil describes his frustration, "It felt as ifthere was this layer of Saran Wrap or something between us, and they wereon one side of it and we were on the other side of it" (Fadiman 47). institutions due to this demographic trend, including education,the workplace, and healthcare. Fadiman as much as points this out as the purpose of herexploration when she maintains that she has "always felt that the actionmost worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet"(Front Matter). In the process of this conflictof values and customs, Lia's condition worsens and she suffers a massiveseizure that leaves her brain dead and near death. They prefer traditionalremedies like herbal medicines, massage, and the use of a Hmong shaman.Ultimately the clash of cures and cultures results in tragedy for Lia, whosuffers a neurological crisis that leaves her in a "persistent vegetativestate...quadriplegic, spastic, incontinent, and incapable of purposefulmovement" (Fadiman 21 ). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. They believe herillness could be a sign of possession but also a sign that she is destinedto become a Shaman, a healer in Hmong culture. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Introduction Anne Fadiman's account of the cultural barriers to effectivehealthcare delivery between Western physicians and a Hmong patient withepilepsy in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down reveals the culturalobstacles to effective healthcare delivery in the 198 s in the U.S.Diagnosed with epilepsy in 1982 at the Merced County Medical Center (MCMC),Lia Lee's condition serves to illustrate the highly significant differenceswith respect to illness and healthcare in the U.S. A focus on diversity and multiculturalism has been the trend withmost U.S. In this way, anthropology helps todiscover the places all human beings connect through a study of theirdifferences. Byexploring the deeply held beliefs and views of both cultures, Fadiman helpslift this barrier of ignorance and misunderstanding that separates. One example of this is the bond shared by Mrs. Lee andanother mother, Peggy, when the latter learns of her son's leukemiadiagnosis, "At the end of the visit, Mrs. Lee was hugging Peggy and theywere both shedding a few tears. In many ways, this book is about the similarities that connect allhuman beings more than the obstacles in overcoming the differences thatseparate them. They saw us assmart and white, and as far as they were concerned the Lees were neither."The Lees, in contrast, see the caregivers as exhibiting a cold arroganceand they believe their remedies often causes more harm than good. It is likely today there are Hmongtranslators and even Hmong employees at the Merced County Medical Center.In this way, Western medicine and healthcare delivery is becoming moreadept at overcoming the barriers presented by diverse cultures in providingeffective and compassionate treatment.Work CitedFadiman, Anne. Lia was diagnosed in 1982, twenty-five years ago. Lia's caregivers prescribed her twenty-three different kinds and doses of anticonvulsant medications, she wasadmitted to the MCMC seventeen times, and recorded more than a hundredoutpatient visits; all in the course of four years. As Fadiman (151) writes, "The doctors wouldn't even look atFoua and Nao Kao. Aspiritual and faith-based culture to compare to the more secular andscientific-based American culture, Hmong and American views on illness andmedicine are shaped by these cultural differences. population has become increasinglydiverse. The Lees think Lia's Western cures are making her worse. They'd only look at us and Jeanine. Sorrows of motherhood cut their allcultural barriers" (Fadiman 252). Despite one in sixresidents in Merced being Hmong, Lia's condition is misdiagnosed aspneumonia because nobody is on staff at the MCMC that can translate Hmong.Lia's parents are often viewed as stubborn, obstinate and ignorant by Lia'scaregivers. Whereas Americans areindividualistic, the Hmong express familial and group interdependence.Hmong believe positive social achievements like low crime rates are themeasure of success; whereas Americans focus on material achievement. As one of Lia's doctors lamented; "We werereaching and reaching and we could kind of get into their area, but wecouldn't touch them" (Fadiman 48). Body The disparate worldviews of the Hmong and Americans culturallyconstruct each culture's view toward medicine. and Laos as it pits herhealthcare providers against her parents. Over the past three decades, the U.S. Another aspect of anthropology that helped bridge the gap betweenHmong culture and Western biomedical practitioners is Fadiman's ability topresent the perspective of both cultures through the Lees and Lia'sphysicians. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. Because of thesedifferences, Lia's parents Nao Kao and Foua believe that the source oftheir daughter's "epilepsy" is an evil spirit or dab that has taken overher soul, a condition they call guag dab peg that translates to the book'stitle "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (Fadiman 21). Conclusion In conclusion, there is one aspect of Fadiman's telling of Lia'sstory that intrigues me. To them, Lia's condition isexplained by an "electrochemical storm" in her brain that stems from the"misfiring of aberrant brain cells" (Fadiman 28). We see that Neil and Peggy are often as frustrated with theobstacles that make effective care for Lia challenging as are the Hmongwith American attitudes.
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