The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter Ten, At the Big Medicine Space Summary

Chapter Ten, At the Big Medicine Space Summary and Analysis

In Chapter Ten, Alvord was responsible for treating a little girl named Melanie Begay, who had appendicitis. Her grandmother, Bernice, was against the surgery. Alvord's increasing skill with Navajos helped quiet Bernice's fears. Bernice was afraid for anyone to cut her granddaughter in part due to the terrible experience she had with Anglos in her childhood, where she was forcibly taken to white boarding schools where Americans tried to eradicate her culture and language.

Alvord explained how much of the history of the Americans and Navajos was disastrous for the Navajos, creating a history of mistrust and fear. There were allegations that in the 1950s that a number of Native American woman were sterilized by the Indian Health Service, which was, in any event, widely known to deliver substandard care. Alvord herself had mixed experiences there.

Alvord understood Bernice's concern but she had to get her granddaughter treated;...
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