Wielding Knife and Teutonic Accent, A Doctor From Beyond Treats Brazil

By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO
Published: January 12, 1996

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 11— Fernando de Souza Pinheiro leaned forward in his wheelchair, ready to receive the knife of a German known by the name of Dr. Fritz, who died in a World War I field hospital. ...

... Using no anesthesia, the current Dr. Fritz, otherwise known as Rubens Farias Jr., sliced open Mr. Pinheiro's back to insert the tips of one, then two, and finally three scissors in a space between two vertebrae. The doctor told a reluctant stranger to feel the space by wiggling the scissors. ...

A version of this article appeared in print on January 12, 1996, on page A4 of the New York edition.

Photo: Rubens Farias Jr., who claims to be possessed by the soul of Dr.Fritz, a German physician who died in World War I, treats more than 600 patients who come to see him on some days in Rio de Janeiro. (John Mair Jr./J.B. Pictures, for The New York Times)