FATAL EXORCISM: ABOUT AN OBSERVATION AT AUTOPSY

Abstract

Supernatural beliefs about the causes of epilepsy are
prevalent in Tunisian culture. Epileptic manifestations
can be taken by healers as signs of demonic possession
leading to the practice of exorcism. Our goal is to focus on
the dangerousness of some exorcism practices that can be
fatal.
We report a case of a 15-year-old child with a history of
treatment-resistant grand mal epilepsy. The child
underwent a ritual exorcism by a healer to chase the evil
that was assumed to have possessed him and was
responsible for the epileptic manifestations. The child
died during the ritual exorcism. The judicial autopsy
showed injuries to the face, neck and abdomen. Death
was attributed to abdominal trauma associated with
strangulation.