Chapter 17 Medical Anthropology

Adaptive

Traits that increase the capacity of individuals to survive and reproduce.

Biocultural evolution

Describes the interactions between biology and culture that have influenced human evolution.

Biomedical

An approach to medicine that is based on the application of insights from science, particularly biology and chemistry.

Communal healing

An approach to healing that directs the combined efforts of the community toward treating illness.

Culture-bound syndrome

An illness recognized only within a specific culture.

Emotionalistic explanation

Suggests that illnesses are caused by strong emotions such as fright, anger, or grief; this is an example of a naturalistic ethno-etiology.

Epidemiological transition

The sharp drop in mortality rates, particularly among children, that occurs in a society as a result of improved sanitation and access to healthcare.

Ethno-etiology

Cultural explanations about the underlying causes of health problems.

Ethnomedicine

The comparative study of cultural ideas about wellness, illness, and healing.

Humoral healing

An approach to healing that seeks to treat medical ailments by achieving a balance between the forces, or elements, of the body.

Maladaptive

Traits that decrease the capacity of individuals to survive and reproduce.

Medical anthropology

A distinct sub-specialty within the discipline of anthropology that investigates human health and health care systems in comparative perspective.

Naturalistic ethno-etiology

Views disease as the result of natural forces such as cold, heat, winds, or an upset in the balance of the basic body elements.

Personalistic ethno-etiology

Views disease as the result of the actions of human or supernatural beings.

Placebo effect

A response to treatment that occurs because the person receiving the treatment believes it will work, not because the treatment itself is effective.

Shaman

A person who specializes in contacting the world of the spirits.

Somatic

Symptoms that are physical manifestations of emotional pain.

Zoonotic

Diseases that have origins in animals and are transmitted to humans.