ABSTRACT
Here is a case in which an initiation ceremony is used for healing. This comes about as follows: all rituals confer weal, and therefore the ritual of initiation does so. It may be omitted for some reason, such as slackness or growing scepticism, and if no illness or other calamity ensues, more people become bold enough to omit it. If, however, there is illness or other calamity, conscience pricks; people look round for an omitted ritual, and proceed to repair the omission. As omission becomes more and more frequent, the ritual becomes more and more restricted to pure healing; it becomes medicine.
