However, the medical processes used by the said practitioners were not as successful as they believed it would be. As for a fact, the terminality of the case of Lia even pushed to a worst condition until her parents were advised to take her back home, especially when they started to believe that her case could not be met anymore and that there is only a little time left before she dies. Upon coming home, the tribe or the ethnic group of Lia performed several rituals again which they strongly believed would help her recover.
As a result [as the tribe members claim] is that the young girl did not die. However, she was brain dead. This means that although she still breaths, her brain does not function anymore making the other systems of her body useless as of the said moment. QUESTIONS: 1. What themes do you find running through the book? Identify 3 and support them with examples from the book. (a) Cultural and Traditional Bearings of Healthcare Procedures This could be seen through the cultural background of Lia’s family and how they particularly held on to it when they needed to treat Lia’s health situation.
Furthermore, the entire story of the Lia’s health situation revolved around the ideal ways by which cultural tradition on healing procedures are applied upon aboriginal members. The reaction of Lia’s family upon the proposed medical assistance given to their loved one posted the intimidation that the family themselves may have felt with regards the proposed process by the medical professionals on the matter. (b) Importance of making the cultural and the scientific procedures of medicinal treatment meet for the sake of the patient’s benefits.
The merging of the values of traditional and modern medicine has been the focus of the story as shown from the description of the situation as presented by the writer herself. In this particular narration, Fadiman has shown a clarified vision on how the story of aboriginal people should be considered seriously especially in terms of medical treatments given to the said groups of people. (c) Considering ethical standards of medical breakthroughs in consideration with the traditional processes of healing considered by several aboriginal members of the society
The idea of the story is to help medical staffs of the present society realize their responsibility of respecting the culture of their patents, especially if they are aboriginals. Most likely, this has been shown through the process by which medical doctors tried to meet with the requirements of the relatives of Lia in her process of healing. This is the reason why the integration of culture and medical procedures considered in this modern times should be given an open minded attention on the part of those involved in the issue.
2. Compare and contrast the health beliefs and behaviors of the Lee family(Hmong culture) and that of the western medical practioners. There are three major ways by which the Hmongs treat their patients. Most often, they tend to base this from their own diagnosis of the situation. As for Lia’s case, they believed that every time she passes out or losses her consciousness, she looses her soul. Thus they have to apply the three major practices to be able to regain her back. The three practices are as follows:
• Herbal Medicine application (A leaf that has been prayed over is applied on Lia’s body to regain her strength) • Ceremonial Ministrations of a traditional practitioner (involves the prayers ad some group rituals that the ethnic tribe does to call the spirit of Lia back to her body) • Sacrificing of Animals (Most often that not, this rituals are focused towards the gods of the tribes as a way by which they ask for the guidance of their gods for assistance in healing the sick member of the group)