The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Summary

The book titled “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is not only an interesting narrative to read just because but it serves as insight into the culture of the Hmong’s and not only how but also a why the Lee’s struggled to adapt and agree with Western medical practices for her daughter’s health. Not far off from the introduction which gives insight on what Lia’s birth would’ve been like had she had been born in their native country rather than in Merced, California, the author goes into the description of various medical systems pertaining specifically to women prior to pregnancy, during and after as well as the importance that the placement of the placenta plays not only for the human as a newborn but also for the death and the afterlife

The reasoning behind these were that they felt like the body only had a certain amount of blood so too many exams could lead to death as well as surgery to altering the body for reincarnation or even giving way to new illnesses after disturbing the body’s original form. When it came to medications as the author Fadiman explains, they often felt as though the dosage was off, or they simply didn’t like the side effects they came with. The author seems to indicate that much of the medical system the Hmong practiced relied on their Shamon and the calling of their ancestors for help which includes the invitation of their souls into a newborn’s body through a pig sacrifice and the tying of a string from the pig to the child’s wrist as was done after Lia was born. Everything from the birth to the death of a person had everything to do with life. The placenta was also another key factor of one’s life. According to the author about the Hmongs traditions, the placenta is like a jacket and so after the child is born it is buried in the house, if it’s a girl it is buried under the bed and if it is a boy, close to the door and after death the soul goes searching for that “jacket” because it must leave the way it came dressed into this world or else the soul is left to wonder. As the author states on chapter 6 page 61; “Hmong pre-occupation with medical

Instead they show that modern medicine could learn a lot from them as these are practices that were put to use for hundreds of years by our ancestors and that although not all of their medicinal ways might have worked or been the best, they did have a sense of identifying when something was wrong and trying to treat it. Much of the Hmongs treatments can be seen in resemblance to the Latin cultures as well with the use of herbal medications and cleanses as well as their stories about one’s journey throughout