José Pedro de Freitas (‘Arigó’) surgical mediumship

Record summary

José Pedro de Freitas, known as Arigó, claimed to channel the deceased German physician ‘Dr. Fritz’ and performed dramatic operations with ordinary knives before large crowds. The episode attracted Brazilian physicians, journalists, researchers, skeptics, and legal authorities, making it a useful lead for studying trance identity, healing testimony, stagecraft, medical outcomes, and social belief. Reports differ sharply in reliability, and legal prosecution, photographic evidence, and clinical documentation require separate evaluation. No extraordinary surgical mechanism should be inferred from reputation alone.