RESUMO
PIP: The Zuni Indians of New Mexico have access to medical care provided by the Public Health Service, native healers belonging to medicine societies, and folk remedies. The Zuni regard natural causes, sorcery, disease-object intrusion and breach of taboo as the origins of illness. Case materials are presented to illustrate the pragmatic manner in which most Zuni seek medical care. Over 90% of patients with nonemergency problems see the native healers before seeking help at the hospital, and patients continue to seek different therapies until their symptoms are relieved. The interaction of Zuni and Western health practices is discussed using the examples of childbirth, epilepsy and diabetes; and reasons for the continued vitality of the traditional systems are explored. It is recommended that physicians acquaint themselves with the traditional beliefs of the people they treat in order to facilitate the acceptance of Western medicine in areas where traditional medicine is still important.^ieng