Arigo: Surgeon of the Rusty Knife [Hardcover]

John Grant Fuller (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Devin-Adair Pub (June 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815950209
• ISBN-13: 978-0815950202
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,003,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rigorous scientific documentation of paranormal medicine, December 14, 1999

By 

Stephen F. Stringham, PhD (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arigo: Surgeon of the Rusty Knife (Hardcover)

According to this book and other information available on the Web:

Arigo was a Brazilian peasant, with no formal medical training, or other schooling past 3rd grade. He was able to diagnose and cure virtually any malady. He did diagnosis at a glance and prescribed modern pharmaceuticals -- often in combinations and doses that made no sense in conventional terms, but which worked in virtually all cases where this could be followed up by investigators. Arigo performed operations of kinds which have apparently never been duplicated by conventional physicians. For example, he commonly excised even those metastatic tumors that extensively infiltrated vital organs, amid blood vessels and nerves. He regularly removed cataracts with a kitchen knife by scraping the cornea and removing the lens -- and his patients were able to see well afterwards. Most operations were done within 5 to 60 seconds, without anesthesia or antiseptics, yet without pain or damage or infection to patients. He commonly treated up to 300 patients/day.

This sounds like a fairy tale, but was extensively documented by highly respected physicians and other scientists from America (led by Henry Puharich) and Brazil. They made detailed films, and performed on-the-spot diagnoses and examination of patients before and after treatment by Arigo. His "instant" diagnoses agreed with their diagnoses at least 96% of the time.

This is not only among the best-documented records of psychic healing, but among the most intruiging sets of evidence for psychic phenomena in general. Instead of just rehashing the same o same o notions of telepathy, clairvoyance, etc. it opens up entire new phenomena. In particular, it suggests a radically new perspective on the nature of disease and healing.

Granted, this perspective has something in common with notions of the so-called etheric body and how it can be operated on -- an approach common in Brazil, where physicians commonly combine so-called spiritist practices with modern medicine. (But Arigo's skill and the intelligence underlying it went far far beyond that of his peers.)

This is the so-called intellectual Karcec school of medicine, and is reputedly practiced by hundreds if not thousands of physicians who have graduated from top ranking medical schools [including American and European schools] and who publish regularly in professional journals.

The Kardec approach involves consultation with spirit physicians -- discarnate beings that were allegedly once alive on Earth -- through mediums. Arigo was unusual in that he was his own medium. His spirit helpers either gave him advice or used him like a puppet to perform treatments -- at which time he was in a trance.

Although this sounds extraordinarily far fetched, the documentation is good enough to warrant serious thought. Alas, Arigo was killed in a car wreck before his work could be studied in enough detail for his methods to be passed on to other healers. Many healers aspire to emulate him, but apparently none has equalled his prowess and gentleness.

This is the kind of book I've been waiting for for 30 years. I only wish that the films and detailed medical records were available too.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Brazilian Healers, October 19, 2004

By 

Jivan Ananto (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arigo: Surgeon of the Rusty Knife (Hardcover)

I read this book in 1977 during a trip to the US. As I see the book here and I read some superficial opinions coming from Randi's admirers(!), I feel compelled to comment. Arigo was a well known healer in Brazil, his healing work through surgery, allways free of charge, went on for many years, hundreds of people a day, till he died in a car accident in 1971. John Fuller's book, writen after his visit to Brazil with Dr. Andrija Puharich to meet, talk to Arigo and see personally what was happening around that healer work is a very good piece of research, well documented. Anyone who is interested in phenomena that shows facts that science is far from explaining, will get a precious source of information from John Fuller's book. Even though skepticism comes about when we face cases like Arigo, there is an unending source of documentation about his life and the authenticity of his work. Scientists, politicians, wealthy people as well hundreds of thousands of simple people were operated by him. Superficial opinions from anyone who hasn't a clue about what they are talking will not invalidate cases so extensively proven true like Arigo. John G. Fuller's book is more than worth reading. Healers like Arigo exist, spread all over Brazil, anyone with time, will and interest can do what Mr. Fuller did so well, research and write about them.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Documented scientific evidence of unexplained healings, October 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Arigo: Surgeon of the Rusty Knife (Hardcover)

Hello. I would just like to say that this book has made a significant impact on my life and outlook of existence. It is not often that strange and paranormal activity is documented undenialbly by a reputable group of individuals that are held in the highest esteem troughout the world. The American Medical Association is just such a group. Photographs, film footage, testimonies of thousands upon thousands of individuals treated by Arigo. It's just mind blowing to read that this humble man never had beyond a third grade education yet when treating his patients spoke perfect German, used no anasthetic, and on verbal command, on more than one occassion, stopped the flow of blood. If you can get your hands on this book you're in for a treat.