Folk Illnesses Reported to Physicans in the Lower Rio Grande Valley: A Binational Comparison

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Abstract
Half of the 132 physicians reported that patients told them about their folk ailments. The proportion of physicians receiving these reports was related to the physician''s nearness to the Hispano-Mexican culture; i.e., the proportion receiving such reports increased from Anglo to Chicano to Mexican physicians. Physicians in general medicine, regardless of ethnic-national identity, were more likely to receive reports than those in specialty practices. More physicians indexed as high on psychosocial orientation received reports of such symptoms than those indexed low; this relationship persisted regardless of type of practice. In this regard; though Karno, Ross, and Caper (1969) did not address the folk illnesses in their study, they report a wide variation among physicians in recognition and sensitivity to emotional problems. As for the role of language, those Anglo physicians reporting moderate or no difficulty in understanding Spanish were more likely to receive reports of a folk illness than those having great difficulty understanding Spanish. These results suggest that patients with folk illnesses are less reluctant to discuss these ailments with their physicians than previous reports indicate. In sum, the amount of insularity which such patients maintain between the two systems of care appears to be less than previously thought.