Bali Documentary -- Legit Medicine Man?

Factual Questions
1

Anyone remember a documentary series done years ago (maybe the '80s?) by a couple of brothers who explored the islands of Bali and eventually took up residence there? It was a very well-done series and I’d like to see it again.

Anyway, one of the events of the series is their going to a local doctor because one of the brothers had an infected eye. The visit was not pre-planned in any way and the doctor’s office was low-tech. The doctor was an acupuncturist and his technique was to transmit “electricity” from his body to the needles. The brother said he definitely felt electrical shocks from the needles; a camerawoman volunteered to be “shocked” by the doctor, and she indeed felt a strong electrical shock from his hand on her stomach. The doctor was dressed in very lightweight, rather scanty tropical clothing. There was no place to conceal a battery.

The doctor then took the whole crew outside to the street, crumpled a newspaper and threw it to the ground. He put his hand on the paper, tensed his body, and the paper caught fire. He seemed puzzled that the crew was astounded, and said that many doctors in Bali were capable of the same kind of “body discipline.”

Now, I’m a skeptic of this kind of thing, but I could not see that anything was faked in any way. The visit was not pre-planned, and there was nothing high-tech or theatrical about this small village doctor’s office in any way. Did anyone else see this documentary? Does anyone have an explanation?

2

I saw it on PBS sometime in the last couple years. I have no explanation, although I remember wondering just what the hell the explanation was. I, too, was extremely skeptical. Lemme see what I can dig up tonight.

3

Thanks, UncleBeer. I did a bit of a Google search, and came up with squat. I’m genuinely intrigued, because I can’t explain it away. I mean, people can’t generate electricity like an electric eel! . . . can they?

4

Ugh. I’ve found nothing yet. Shocking, I know. I wonder if I can find anything at PBS.org. I’ll be back.

5

pugluvr:

I don’t have an explanation, but what you’re describing is no more amazing than things I’ve seen Penn & Teller or Harry Anderson (remember when he used to be a magician?) do live. If you simply change categories in your mind, and think of the man as a magician instead of a doctor, the feat seems much less amazing.

You didn’t say whether the electric shocks cured the reporter’s eye. Hell, I could zap my grandmother’s eye with a naked lamp cord; it wouldn’t make her cataracts go away.

6

Sorry, pugluvr. I willing to concede the search now. I haven’t found a damn thing anywhere. The hell of it is, I asked a couple friends, and they also remember this show quite vividly.