Introduction

In the opening chapter of The Scalpel and the Silver Bear: The First Navajo Woman Surgeon Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing, Lori Arviso Alvord reflects on Navajo weavers who blend various strands of wool into a beautiful pattern that “tells a story and has spirit” (1). To the author, this book is similar to Navajo tapestries because it weaves together the various parts of Lori’s life. Lori grew-up in a small town called Crownpoint, New Mexico, which is located on a Navajo reservation. The words “Navajo” and “surgeon” rarely appear together, yet Lori became the first Diné, or Navajo, woman surgeon. As Lori practiced medicine, she realized that modern medicine was a “one-way system—from physicians to patient” (2). Patients are much less involved in their own treatments. Physicians rarely take time to listen or develop professional relationships with their patients. Rather than treating the whole person (i.e., mind, body, and spirit), physicians only see the body. This scenario has resulted in modern medicine facing a crisis. To Lori, traditional Navajo healing, including the Navajo concept called “Walking in Beauty” (3), can fix this crisis. <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Symbols & Motifs" href="https://www.supersummary.com/the-scalpel-and-the-silver-bear/symbols-and-motifs/#149950">Walking in Beauty</a> refers to a way of living. Individuals who follow this concept live a balanced and harmonious life and are in touch with all components of themselves and the world around them.

Introduction Summary

Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Summary: “Chantways”

Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Summary: “Walking the Path Between Worlds”

Introduction-Chapter 2

Introduction-Chapter 2 Analysis

Values & Ideas

Beauty

Health & Wellness

Health & Medicine

Nonfiction

Inspiring Biographies

Memoir

Lori Arviso Alvord

Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt

Adult

Autobiography / Memoir

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

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About The Scalpel and the Silver Bear

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The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Summary and Study Guide

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Introduction-Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 3-4

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Chapters 5-8

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Chapters 9-10

The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Chapters 9-10 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 11-12

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Chapters 13-14

The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Chapters 13-14 Summary & Analysis

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The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Symbols & Motifs

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The Scalpel and the Silver Bear: The First Navajo Woman Surgeon Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing

Introduction-Chapter 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

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