RITUAL MEANING IN SURGERY

The term ''ritual'' is used in medicine primarily in a negative way. I n a surgical context, it is usually used to refer to slavish, unthinki ng devotion to technique or method, or to unnecessary surgical procedu res that have outlived their usefulness. But there is another aspect o f ritual that has received far too little attention from medical write rs: ritual in its anthropologic sense as a form of stylized behavior t hat serves as a vehicle for the transmission of meaning. Because a sur gical operation is a structured process that takes place within a give n social context, it can be analyzed as a ''rite of passage'' that hel ps move the patient from ''illness'' to ''health.'' Understanding the ritual aspects of surgical operations can help deepen the doctor-patie nt relationship and improve the quality of care given to surgical pati ents.