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We describe the patterns of illness attributed to sorcery among 209 patients who attended a special clinic in south India. Somatisation and conversion disorders accounted for the majority of patients, although several other psychiatric and medical disorders were also seen. Aspects of treatment of such patients in the sociocultural context are discussed.

Professional review teams in nine Third World countries assessed a sample of children referred as probable cases (or as controls) from a door to door household survey of 1000+ children aged 3 to 9 years. Retrospectively each team specified the criteria they had used to decide on whether or not individuals should be classified as "severely mentally retarded" (intellectually disabled). The paper analyses these criteria in terms of the behavioural domains to which they refer, the measures with which they were operationalised and the ways in which they were coordinated to arrive at a "diagnosis". Substantial consensus was found on the importance of five broad domains, although the precise measures used varied across the teams. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.