The Last Bonesetter: An Encounter with Don Felipe 2018
Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources, 101 Morse Street, Watertown, MA 02472; 617-926-0491
Produced by Kathryn Oths and Adam Booher
Directed by Adam Booher
Streaming, 27 mins
College
Alternative Medicine; Health Sciences
Date Entered: 06/15/2020
Reviewed by Andrew Koval, MSLSThe Last Bonesetter: An Encounter with Don Felipe lends veracity to the Peruvian healing tradition of Bonesetting. This practice of massage, spinal adjustment and setting broken bones is studied through 80-year-old practitioner Don Felipe. Felipe is the sole Bonesetter that diagnoses and heals a population of 600 patients for a hamlet in the Peruvian Andes. Genuine in tone with concise editing.
Felipe is endorsed by Medical Anthropologist Kathryn Othos, Ph. D. Othos organizes exhibitions of the Bonesetter for the medical community. This display’s Felipe’s expertise to those entrenched in the allopathic medical tradition. Each segment contributes to the audience’s knowledge and appreciation for Bonesetting and the work of Don Felipe.
A quiet gem. Those interested in the practical aspects of alternative medicine or ethnomedicine will be captivated. The Last Bonesetter would strengthen the library of an osteopathic medical college for medical students and faculty alike.