Tony Agpaoa
Filipino psychic surgeon accused of fraud and conjuring tricks.
Tony Agpaoa (1939–1982), born Antonio C. Agpaoa, was a Filipino practitioner of psychic surgery who worked in Manila. He allegedly removed tissue from patients without making an incision, and his center in Baguio attracted "thousands of persons annually." Magicians and skeptics were convinced his feats were the result of conjuring tricks. In 1968, Agpaoa was arrested and charged with fraud in the United States for pretending to mend a bone in a patient's neck. Instead of facing the charges, he "skipped his $25,000 bail and fled back to the Philippines."
Quick Facts
- Full name
- Antonio C. Agpaoa
- Born
- 1939
- Died
- 1982
- Nationality
- Filipino
- Field
- Psychic surgery
- Location of practice
- Manila
Facts from the source article.
Background
According to magician James Randi, "[i]n some cases, [Agpaoa] actually performed simple surgical services, removing cysts and draining infected areas; the rest, mostly very spectacular procedures in which his hands appeared to plunge into the body were the usual conjuring tricks." American surgeon William A. Nolen wrote: "According to the A.M.A. he had separated hundreds of patients from their life savings and had cured no one." Randi also noted that Agpaoa had his own appendix removed in a hospital in San Francisco, instead of visiting a psychic surgeon. Agpaoa also took his son to the United States when in need of medical care, but his son did not survive.
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