Abstract
The term "ritual" is used in medicine primarily in a negative way. In a surgical context, it is usually used to refer to slavish, unthinking devotion to technique or method, or to unnecessary surgical procedures that have outlived their usefulness. But there is another aspect of ritual that has received far too little attention from medical writers: ritual in its anthropologic sense as a form of stylized behavior that serves as a vehicle for the transmission of meaning. Because a surgical operation is a structured process that takes place within a given social context, it can be analyzed as a "rite of passage" that helps move the patient from "illness" to "health." Understanding the ritual aspects of surgical operations can help deepen the doctor-patient relationship and improve the quality of care given to surgical patients.
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