ANTHROP 3HI3 Lecture 2: Ethnomedicine

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTHROP 3HI3
• Professor: Dr. Rebecca Plett

Document Summary

Class discussion: what causes disease: bacteria, germs, genetics, cardiovascular problems. Lack of resources (food, water, shelter: malnutrition. Lifestyle factors: stress - cortisol levels, negative emotions, religious aspect. Definitions of key terms: biomedical model of health: the absence of disease and normal functioning of the body. Social model of health: implies a sense of wholeness, wellness, and well-being. From who: health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. In our context: disease: medically defined, objective pathology afflicting to a patient (malaria, cancer, For example : biomedicine has been incredibly successful globally by treating the physical body and curing disease. Etiologies accounted for by two principles: personalistic and naturalistic: foster does caution these are not mutually exclusive - especially evident in the cases of. Disease etiologies: personalistic, a medical system where a disease is due to the active, purposeful intervention of an agent, human (witch, sorcerer)