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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper discusses the dire consequences which arise from a clash of cultures in the medical profession and Hmong immigrants. Bibliography lists 1 source.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MBhmong.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
with the cultural conflicts which arise when a Hmong family seek medical aid for their child, but because of cultural beliefs and practices which differ from Western medicines traditional procedures,
refuse to fall into line and become more American. The Spirt Catches You and You Fall Down, addresses this issue and illustrates the problems which medical personnel will face in
the future as the world becomes one very large village. Lia Lee was born in America in the early eighties. Her parents, immigrants
from Hmong, spoke little to no English and could not convey to the doctors at the emergency room what was wrong with their newborn daughter. The child continued to fail
and finally the baby was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. However, uneducated medically and unfamiliar with the term, Lias parents insisted that their daughters malady was caused by a flight of
her soul from her body. The Hmong call this condition the spirit catches you and you fall down. "Although the Hmong believe that illness can be caused by a
variety of sources -- including eating the wrong food, drinking contaminated water, urinating on or kicking a benevolent house spirit, or having bird droppings fall on ones head -- by
far the most common cause of illness is soul loss"(Fadiman 8). What is most interesting about this book is that Fadiman
shows this story from both sides and perspectives, not just the point of view of the American doctors who try to save the child. Fadiman gets inside the mindset of
Lias parents and shows their logic and reasoning in dealing with this condition. In a classic battle of ideologies and cultures, Lia is placed squarely in the middle of doctors
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