The Scalpel and the Silver Bear

By Lori Arviso Alvord and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt

Book Overview

In a remarkable book that takes the reader on a spellbinding journey between two worlds, surgeon Lori Arviso Alvord describes her struggles to bring modern medicine to the Navajo reservation in Gallup, New Mexicoand to bring the values of her people to a medical care system in danger of losing its heart. Finding the solutions to modern medicine's most daunting problems was far from the mind of a girl from a small, dusty town on a Navajo reservation. But Lori Arviso Alvord would leave the traditional hogans of her people to attend the prestigious Stanford University Medical School and become the first Navajo woman surgeon. Only after conquering the high-tech realm of the operating room would this extraordinarily talented doctor realize something was missing from contemporary medical carean understanding of the whole person who has come seeking healing. The Scalpel and the Silver Beartells of Dr. Alvord's pioneering journey to become a woman surgeon, fighting the odds presented by her own culture and the unspoken rules that made surgery the territory of a privileged class of males. Then, having accomplished her dreams, the strong-willed young woman would find herself faced with a different challenge: learning another approach to medicine amid the Hataali, the medicine men of the Dine, the people we call Navajo. Here in this moving, enlightening, and provocative volume, Dr. Alvord teaches us how she merged the latest breakthroughs of science and methodology with the ancient tribal paths to recovery and wellness. In dramatic encounters while practicing reservation medicinea man whose intestine was pierced by a porcupine quill, which he insisted was placed there by an enemy's curse; a woman who had been struck by lightning and blamed her cancer on it; an all-night winter sing for a gravely ill young woman, attended by the whole communityDr. Alvord witnessed the power of belief to influence health, for good or for ill. She discovered that patients undergoing chemotherapy did better after having a native healer at bedside, and that the feelings of both the patient and the surgeon could affect recovery time, postsurgical complications, and even whether the patient lived or died. The secret, Lori Alvord discovered, lay in the Navajo philosophy of a balanced and harmonious life, called "Walking in Beauty." Her sharing of these ancient principles promises to have an immeasurable impact on today's doctors and patients by expanding the concept of mind-body healing to include the interconnectedness of all life. Personal, simply written, yet profoundly wise,The Scalpel and the Silver Bearjoins those few rare works, such asHealing and the Mind, whose ideas have changed medical practices and our understanding of the world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553100122
• ISBN13: 9780553100129
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Made me homesick!

I can't tell you how helpful this book was to me in gaining insight to myself and my own heritage. I too grew up on the "rez", or the Navajo Nation, not far from where Ms. Alvord grew up. (In fact, I am related to her by clan!) I also grew up half Navajo and half white. This book helped me to understand many of the characteristics and traits that I have and the cultural significance underlying them, as I was raised non-traditionally. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially Native youth, because it shows that anyone can achieve their dream. I am very proud of Lori Alvord for being willing to share her story and show the Western medical world the importance of Native/Indigenous healing practices.

Two Worlds of Lori Arviso Alvord, Native American Surgeon

This book was marvelous! All who work in the Medical Field, no matter what their position, should read this book. It not only tells about the differences in Lori Arviso Alvord's cultures but how they believe and how medical doctors/surgeons have the ability to keep their patients calm during emergencies or surgeries. I think that anyone who is planning on going into the medical field in the Native American area should definitely read this book, so that they can get an inside of how the Native American cultures believe and what to expect. The language of the book was down to earth without confusing medical terms and was easy to understand. All the stories that were presented brought back memories of my grandmother who died at the age of 96. A very good book!

The scalpel and the silver bear

The test of a good book lies in its readability, more so in the case of a non fiction.The author's narrative style is simple and interesting and hence very readable. As I read through the book I felt as if I was travelling with the author through this life journey of hers. What makes the book acceptable is the fact that the author does not make any judgement about the cultures that she has to be in. Her attempt to combine the best of both the worlds is the main attraction in the book. I agree with her totally that the need of the hour is holistic approach to any medical intervention. Coming from India I do understand the gap in the modern approach to 'cure', namely the 'healing'. I wish many non native Indians would read this book and benefit from its facts.I wish the doctor all the very best in her present endevour of popularising the holistic approach among the modern medical world.

A MUST READ

This is a must read for everyone, not just health care providers; however, it would be wonderful if every doctor read it. It could change how our society views health care. Instead of treating a diagnosis, we could learn to treat a whole person with compassion and respect.While health care is the setting, we learn what it means to be a Navajo woman. The customs are fascinating to those of us who know so little about native americans. This is a spiritual book. You learn what it means to "Walk in Beauty". There are many lessons to learn from this book. It is one that you will read and pass along to your friends and family.

Riveting, deep, inspiring--appeals to all ages and cultures.

Wow. A luminous bridge from the Navajo world to the rest of us. Her path to becoming a surgeon is an astonishing story. I doubt anyone can read it without awe, without tears, without laughing, without finding something or someone familiar in it. Recommended for med students, classroom, motivational or pleasure reading. Give a copy to your favorite doctor!