Dans la peau d’un aveugle – l’étrange cécité de John Howard Griffin. Deuxième partie : guérison. Diagnostic

Abstract

Given the lack of available medical records, any study of John Howard Griffin's blindness must rely on Griffin's own words and that of his biographers. Griffin's account of his blindness has generally been accepted, even though some of his friends privately expressed doubts as to its genuineness. After reviewing various sources, we conclude that Griffin's blindness was a pseudo-blindness that is a combination of “functional disorder” and outright simulation. We will further enquire into the possibility that Griffin experienced a miraculous healing – an explanation that he personally rejected – by briefly examining the well-publicized cases of two 20th Century Catholic holy women. We will then lay the groundwork for a psychological explanation of Griffin's blindness, concluding that it had two functions: an escapist one, which allowed him to avoid embarrassment, and a promotional one, which helped him market his novels.