the evil eye

'Mal ojo, the evil eye, is commonly used [by Mexican-Americans] to explain psychiatric symptoms. It is caused when a person with 'strong vision' admiringly or enviously looks at another. . . . Its causation is usually assumed to be inadvertent and the person is not held consciously responsible; implicit, however, is responsibility for unconscious desires. . . .

Clinically mal ojo occurs more often in the younger age groups. Headaches, crying, irritability, and restlessness are common symptoms. . . . Traditional treatments include prayers and 'sweeping' or 'cleansing' the patient with a raw egg. Another approach to treatment is to try and locate the person who inadvertently caused it (usually within the preceding 24 hours); if this person simply touches the afflicted the illness will be cured.'

'E. Fuller Torrey, The Mind Game: Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists, 1972.