Mary Dilley, curandera: A modern South Texas folk healer.

摘要

This study will explore significant accounts of the life of a Mexican-American woman--Mary Dilley--which have enabled her to occupy the role and status of a regional folk healer living in Hebbronville, Texas, a small South Texas community of 4465 inhabitants.;This thesis will establish Mary Dilley's role as a folk healer in South Texas, place her in the context of other folk healers in the region, and explore how one formally trained in the Rosicrucian Order is accepted in a community which believes in the traditional folk medical system.;Utilizing the theoretical perspective of functionalism, this thesis will also explore the role Mary Dilley occupies in this community.