Merolicos and health education.

PIP: Research on merolicos provides valuable information about receptiveness to public health communication. Merolicos are Mexican medicine showmen who by entertaining means such as ventriloquism, mental telepathy, and snakehandling captivate audiences while imparting medicinal information. It was observed that trust in the merolicos extends to people seeking out advice, consultation and explanations. The effective folk traditional health orientation, accessibility and communicative style of the showmen were appealing aspects of the merolicos to the townspeople. In a pilot project the medicine show method of communication was explored in a specific area of infant nutrition in order to evaluate whether the showmen were able to bring about changes in the knowledge, attitudes and behavior patterns of their audience. This involves community selection, message content control, preparation and surveys. Impressive results were seen in adolescents who showed curiosity and attentiveness during the shows. Many young girls valued information about infant care and nutrition. Mexican medicine showmen combine an ability to dramatically work information into community health programs at low potential cost while discreetly disseminating vital health oriented information.^ieng