Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Unproven Methods For Cancer: Psychic Surgery

    Uploaded by

    cabruca1
    130 views5 pages
    Psychic surgery don't cure cancer

    Original Title

    Unproven methods for cancer: Psychic surgery

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    Psychic surgery don't cure cancer

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    130 views5 pages

    Unproven Methods For Cancer: Psychic Surgery

    Uploaded by

    cabruca1
    Psychic surgery don't cure cancer

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 5
    Unproven Methods of Cancer Management “Psychic Surgery” After study ofthe literature and other avail ‘able information, the American Cancer So ciety has found no evidence that "psychic surgery” results in objective benefit in the treatment of any medical condition. Lack- ing such evidence, the American Cancer Society strongly urges individuals who are illnot to seek treatment by psychic surgery. “The following isa review and summary of material on “psychic surgery" in the ‘American Cancer Society files as of May 431, 1989, Reference to that material by the Society does not imply agreement with its contents Introduction “The film must be seen to comprehend. its full impact. It records a series of "operations" on individuals, each of ‘whom is shown lying on a table sui rounded by onlookers, The “psychic surgeon’ or “faith healer’ appears to have his hands, surrounded by blood, ina depression in one part or another of the patient's body, and appears to have ‘opened orto be opening it with his bare hands, without anesthesia or surgical instruments of any sort, and to be re- ‘moving tissue or other material from inside, During the “operation,” the psychic surgeon or faith healer from time to time holds up tothe view ofthe ‘onlookers what appears t0 be tissue or material removed from the body, ‘Thereafter, the abdomen, or other part of the anatomy which appears. on the film, to be opened, is wiped clean by the psychic surgeon or faith healer, or his attendants, No marks of any inci- son are seen, and there is no scar. The patient arises and walks away. “Initial Decision by Administrative Law Judge Daniel H. Hanscom. in the matter of Travel King, Inc. et al, February 28, 1975! ‘Amateur films such as the above were presented as evidence in a court action by the Federal Trade Commission. More than 1 decade later, films continued to be a pri- ‘mary means of promotion for so-called psychic surgeons. A. 1985 professionally made videocassette shows Reverend Alex Orbito, the self-described top Filipino psychic surgeon, using the same techniques ‘on patients while the narrator tells how to arrange group travel to the Philippines through Orbit Tours in Manila and receive fan Orbit Photography Service film of your healing experiences..”* OriginsiHistory “Psychic surgery" is @ 20th century phe- nomenon associated with “spirit healing” in rural areas of the Philippines. Certain Tocal "healers" are believed to act as medi- tums for healing forces that enable them to perform painless surgery using their fingers (CAACCANCER JOURNAL FOR CLINICIANS andiorunsteile tools.’ Medical anthropol- ‘sists have described the development of psychic surgery in the Philippines as a transition from traditional. ‘shamanism extraction’ from the body of leaves, seeds, worms, hai, et.) 10 the appearance ‘of Westem scientific medicine ‘extraction ‘of blood, tissue, tumors, organs) leuterio Terte was reportedly the first Filipino healer to perform fake operations in his healing rituals, In the 1940s, Terte incorporated a few sleightof-hand tech- rigues using chicken guts, red dye, and cotton’ Terte anda talented student, Tony ‘Agpaoa, late trained other healers in these techniques." In the mid-1960s, magazine articles and films. publicizing Tere and ‘Agpaoa transformed the psychic surgeons from “barrio and village shamans o global healers." In 1967, 109 ailing Detroit residents traveled to Manila for treatment by ‘Agpaoa. When they retumed, several dis- satisfied group members claimed they had been bilked. Agpaoa was arested and in- dicted on three counts of using the tele Phone wires to defraud by representing himself as able to perform psychic surgery, and one count of foreign transportation of $72,000 obiained by fraud. He fled to the Philippines before coming to tral, forfeit- ing the $25,000 bail raised by his suppor- crs.°" Agpaoa and his wife made immense profits from their Manila tour business, Which contracted with travel agencies faround the world for exclusive access to “Agpaoa's psychic surgery treatments. Two such travel agencies in San Francisco sold sn estimated 1,856 tours from 1972 0 May 1974." Agpaoa died in 1982. ‘Method/Proponents, ‘The most commonly used props for per- forming psychic surgery are a table. a bow! ‘of water, and cotton balls. Individual heal- ‘ers develop variations or gimmicks that be- ‘come their trademarks. One healer appears to extract palm leaves, glass, plastic bags, ‘comeabs, and other non-animal objects from patients’ bodies.* Another gives “spirit injections” from several feet away that are felt as needle-like jabs.** Yet an- VOL.40,NO.3. MAYAUNE 1290 ‘other appears to make an incision with a Finger held six inches or more above the skin, Some claim to diagnose with x-ray vision.* Several perform a trick in which it appears that the patient’s eye is removed and einsereed.*"" ‘The names of the same approximately 20 individual healers have recurred in art les and books about psychic surgery since 1966. Most are members of the Union Espirtsta Cristiana de Filipina, a spritist organization that espouses. Christianity. Prayer and meditation are usually par of the healing ceremonies. Although some healers charge openly for their services. ‘most “accept donations” to their healing ‘ministries orchapels, Repeat reatments are usually recommended, and patients are often told that healing will occur a month ff more after the procedure, Most healers "detect" and “remove'” previously undi- ‘agnosed illnesses in addition to those iden tied by the patient Psychic Surgeons who tour the United ‘States. perform in private homes, church ‘basements, and hotel rooms. Most own or have contractual arrangements with ravel ‘nd tour businesses that promote travel 10 the Philippines for further treatment. The following Filipino psychic surgeons have attracted attention during US tours in recent years Alex Orbito ‘Alex Orbito’s promotional material states that in 1983 he founded the Philippine Healers Circle, a group of 19 psychic sur- ‘geons seeking “to. professionalize faith healing and check the harmful practices of the charlatans that are giving their healing practices a bad name." Orbito describes his healing technique as “magnetic”: ‘In the body, my hands are like a magnet so that even if the sickness is a distance from smy hand it is drawn to me and 1 feel the current. When I feel the current Iknow the sickness is now in my hand and I remove it immediately. That is why the operations don't last very long,"* Orbito also describes in" New Age” phrases the “positive and negative Vibrations generated through thoughts [that] defintely affect the healing process." During a five-month tour of the US in 1987, Orbito was observed ““operat- ing’ on more than 100 persons in five hours in Manhattan, collecting over $10,000 in “donations Gary. Magno “The Reverend Monsignor” Gary G. “Magno was arrested and released in August 1986 in Phoenix while “operating” in the home of follower. Magno, who was seeing at least 100 patients a day, charged $875 for an initial visit and $50 for follow- ‘up operations; a lifetime membership cost $2,000. At the time of his arrest, Magno ‘was found to have vials of red fluid and packets of meat tucked under his waist- Band. Jose “Brother Joe” Bugarin In 1986, Jose “Brother Joe" Bugarin was reported io have performed approximately 5360 "surgeries in three days at $45 each ‘while sponsored by a Denver church. Pa tients signed disclaimers stating that they ‘were receiving “spiritual assistance” and knew that Brother Joe was not licensed t0 practice any form of medicine. No arrest twas made, but a skeptical patient arranged For immediate analysis of the “blood! (oshich was found tobe that of a chicken) and appeared on a local television station Wit the lab report." In April 1987, Brother Joe was arrested after "“operating"* on an investigator from the State Board of Medi- cal Quality Assurance. The prosecutor Cited the case of a woman who was told by Brother Joe that she had been cured of throat cancer. ‘The woman's. condition ‘worsened, and when se finally retumed to her physician and leared that her cancer had spread, she suffered heart attack. The woman recovered and underwent cancer Surgery. but the potential for a murder charge was a factor in the proceeding against Brother Joe. In October 1988, after pleading no contest to practicing medicine Without a license, he began serving nine ‘months in a Sacramento County. Califor- nia jail." 28 Placido Palatayan Placido Palatayan was arested in February 1989 in a house in Colville, Washington, where he was scheduled to See about 130 clients in two days at $75 each. He was charged with theft and unlicensed practice fof medicine, A bucket containing blood ‘and tissue that purportedly had been re- ‘moved from patients was found to contain tissue from a bovine animal. Palatayan is known to have treated atleast 1,200 people in Colville during the ix or seven visits he nas made since 1984. Legal and Regulatory History In January 1974, the FTC charged 11 re- spondents (four West Coast travel agencies {and seven of their officers and sharehold- ers) with violating Section Sof the FTC Act by falsely representing that “the psychic sirgery performed in the Philippines is an actual surgical operation, that the body is ‘opened, and that disease-causing material is thereby removed.""" Ina lengthy proceeding, the court de~ termined that psychic surgery is pure fak- ery and a fraud accomplished through the use of sleight-of-hand, wicks, and de- viees."" Testimony on the deceptive tech- niques used was given by an Iowa couple, Donald and Carol Wright. While working as assistants 10 a number of psychic sur- ‘geons in 1973, they noticed “objects fall- ing from the hands of the healers onto the bodies ofthe patients." They also discov- ered that the materials extracted from tients were actually handmade composi- tions of cotton and animal material. When confronted. one of their teachers admitted {that the operations were done by sleight-of hhand and offered to teach the Wrights the techniques involved. ‘The Wrights leamed 0 shop for the ‘animal parts sed to prepare “bullets” of ‘animal tissue and clotted blood. They Jeamed how to hide the bullets, palm them for transfer onto the patient, and create the illusion that their hands were penetrating the body. The Wrights became practicing psychic surgeons within months. Among the healers they observed using sleight-of- (CAACANCERJOURNAL FOR CLINICANS hhand techniques were Eleuterio Tere, Ro- ‘meo Bugarin, Alex Orbito, and Placido Palatayan. (Similar charges of fraud were ‘made against Tony Agpaoa and others in 1966 by filmmakers Elgin Ciampi and Re- ‘nee DuBonnet."") {A professional magician and sleight-of- hhand artist, Robert Gurtler (“Andre Kole”) observed psychic surgery at close range in the Philippines. At the FTC hear- ings he described how props such as cap- sules of blood and tissue were concealed throughout the operating area and used as needed. Gurtler testified that “no taining in science or medicine would ordinarily help a person initially to detect these sleightof-hand_techniques."" Magicians Miboune Christopher and James (“the ‘Amazing") Randi, a MacArthur Founda- tion *“genius award" winner, have also ex- posed the techniques of psychie surgery in books, lectures, and demonstrations." "* Medical testimony was given at the FTC proceeding concerning the effects of psychic surgery on patients, Ronald Chard, Jr, MD, a pediatric oncologist, described ‘the cases of four children who had been ‘rested inthe Philippines, all of whom had died: "In each of these cases, T had the ‘opportunity to observe the condition of the patients, both before and after their trea- ‘ment by the psychic surgeons. X-ray com- parisons and other data indicated that, in each case, nothing was removed from the child's body. In each ofthe cases with the exception of one, the chances of the child having a longer life span would have been greater if conventional medical treatment had not been significant interupted.""”” ‘At the time of the FTC trial in 1974, it was estimated that the public had spent about two million dollars on psychic sut- gery tours offered by the respondents” four travel agencies—an amount judged to be ‘only “the tip ofthe iceberg” of such travel. ‘The hearing record states further that, “not ‘only do such representations have the tendency and capacity to cause seriously ill, persons to travel long distances at great expense and to waste their time, money, ‘and energy in the false belief that they will, ‘undergo an actual surgical operation, but such representations have the tendency and. VOL 40.NO.3 MAYJUNE 1990, capacity 10 worsen the condition of the sick, and even to cause death, through in- {eruption of normal medical care.""! ‘The respondents in Travel King, Inc. et al were ordered to cease and desist promot ing, directly or indirectly. visits for psychie surgery of to psychic surgeons in the Phil- ippines or elsewhere. Sict prohibitions were placed on the use of all tems e1 ployed in the past: “psychic healing, faith healing,” “spiritual,” and "spirit healing.” The decision stated that a cease- and-desist order against promoters of psychic surgery “does not constitute ‘reg- tlation of religious action’ or of travel which is ‘religious in nature.” Those found in violation of this order are subject to penalties of $10,000 a day. Investigations of Claims Tissue allegedly removed from patients during psychic surgery is usualy disposed of quickly by healers and their assistants. ‘On a number of occasions, however, ma- terials have been seized for analysis. Red fluids have proved to be plant materials? or animal blood.'*° “Analysis of tissue ‘samples has yielded specimens from chick- ens. pigs, dogs, and other animals." “Kidney stones" have been shown 0 be pebbles, sodium chloride, pumice, and vol tani rock.” In 1987, a demonstration of psychic surgery by Reverend Philip Malicdan took place in a Michigan University laboratory "under a ““protacol designed to produce one of two possible results: (1) discovery of sleight-of-hand; or (2) display of anoma- Tous phenomena which would then call for additional scientific research.” Afterward, thee specialist observers—a magician, an audiovisual expert, and a pathologist—re- ported their findings, based on different ‘evidence and different forms of analysis, in independent reports.* "The magician described four elements of conjuring methodology present: “natu: ‘The magician concluded that Malicdan "is ‘a willful fraud." ‘The audiovisual expert provided a de- co tailed analysis of the movements of the surgeon and his assistant recorded by three Videotape cameras, His report stated that “the tape record indicated beyond any

    You might also like