ANTHRO 134A Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Twilight Sleep, Bimatoprost, Medical Anthropology
Document Summary
Midterm: tuesday nov 1st Surveillance medicine: the medicalization of deviance (for example, in adhd or autism) is part of the rise of what david armstrong calls surveillance medicine in the 20th century. Example: child growth charts; abnormality is relative, in reference to other childre. Norms in this chart shows they are relative, whether you are normal or abnormal, it depends on what others are doing. Medicine doesn"t just focus on the sick. everyone is the target of medical monitoring and intervention. Concept of the risk factor opens up a space of future illness potential. Internalization by the population; we are all encouraged to monitor ourselves to maintain health. e. g. , quanti ed self (monitor) Reframing of understanding of health; we could all be healthier/better: medicine use is not only cure your diseases, but also help you be healthier. Enhancement technologies: prozac, viagra, cosmetic surgery, botox injections, diet drugs, etc.
