ANTHROP 1AA3 Study Guide - Final Guide: Biomedicine, Sagittal Crest, Foramen Magnum
14 Dec 2012
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Western biomedicine (wbm): a healing approach based on modern western science that emphasizes technology for diagnosing and treating heath problems related to the human body: ignore health problems that other cultures recognize. Disease: in the disease/illness dichotomy, a biological health problem that is objective and universal. Illness: in the disease/illness dichotomy, culturally specific perceptions and experiences of a health problem. Medical anthropologists: study both disease and illness and they show how both must be understood with their cultural contexts. Disease-illness dichotomy: set of concepts that medical anthropologists use to sort out the many cross-cultural labels and perceptions. Culture-specific syndrome: health problem with a set of symptoms associated with a particular culture: ex. Somatization: refers to the process through which the body absorbs social stress and manifests symptoms of suffering: ex. susto- fright/shock disease that occurs after traumatic event occurs. Ethno-etiology: a cross-culturally specific explanation for health problems and suffering (why they occur).
