J Community Health. 1996 Oct; 21(5): 359-74.

Local unorthodox healers of cancer in the Appalachian south.

Cavender A.

Department of Sociology and Anthropology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City 37614, USA.

This paper examines the local popular tradition of unorthodox cancer healers and treatments in the Appalachian South. An indepth case study of an unorthodox cancer healer is presented which focuses on his recruitment to the role of healer, the origin and method of his cancer treatment, and a profile of his client population. The case study is followed by a discussion of other unorthodox healers of cancer in the region for the purpose of elucidating the distinction between the local and mass popular traditions of unorthodox cancer medicine. There is an historically deep and enduring tradition of unorthodox cancer treatments in the Appalachian South, and no doubt other regions of the U.S. as well, which should be considered for a better understanding of the health care alternatives available and the health seeking behavior of individuals who use them.