Medical Anthropology
Traditions, practices, habits and beliefs vary among each culture, as does the environment, and availability of goods and supplies. The definition of illness also varies depending on the culture and what is considered good versus bad health. Due to this diversity in everyday life, and the arbitrary definition of health, an illness is specific to the culture it affects. Nancy Scheper-Hughes’ work in Brazil, and her observations of the tendency of the Alto culture to put small value on children until they prove their will to live, is an example of how illness is specific to certain cultures. In this particular case, healthcare is only given out based on the belief in its necessity. In Western culture, Biomedicine is improving everyday to help premature babies, and sickly babies to survive, whereas in this Brazilian culture, there is the belief that babies are replaceable and little effort is shown to aid a sick baby. Scheper-Hughes credits this maternal thinking among the Alto to result in an “average expectable environment of child d
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Northeast Brazilian, Kuru Cannibalism, Scheper-Hughes Brazil, Unlike Altos, , specific culture, death rates, fore people, resulted spreading kuru, culture practice, contracted disease, illness specific, resulted spreading, eating dead, cultural practice, maternal thinking,
Approximate Word count = 704
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
 |
