Healers

VOYA - Carrie Eldridge

Author Durrett describes the lives of twelve Native American healers, from the traditional medicine man to modern physician and those who try to combine the two, in this installment of the American Indian Lives series. According to the author, before the Europeans landed on the shores of North America, the native peoples were generally healthy. For example, Indians drank a beverage made from boiled pine needles. European newcomers scoffed at such behavior but later realized that the Indians did not suffer from scurvy. (Pine needles are rich in vitamin C.) Today, according to an expert in natural medicines, about three-quarters of the more than 120 drugs that are still taken from plants were discovered by following up on the native folklore claims. Native American traditional healers also understood that psychology plays just as important a role in healing as medicines. Traditional healers worked to restore the faith and the spirit of the patient. Modern medicine is just beginning to understand the importance of this aspect of healing. Readers will enjoy reading about Ta-boodle, a self-taught surgeon who lived in the nineteenth century, and the pioneering career of Ruth Hills Wadsworth, a Mescalero Apache nurse. It is heartening to read about modern healers, such as Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord, a Navajo surgeon toiling away on the reservation to improve the health of her people. Healers is an excellent addition to any library collection and will help dispel stereotypical views of Native Americans. You will not find this information very easily without intensive research. Sources are appended at the end of each chapter. Pictures are included by not seen by reviewer. Photos. Source Notes. VOYA Codes: 4Q 2P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).