PMID: 11639330Aug 1, 1994Paper

Healing and curing: issues in the social history and anthropology of medicine in Africa

Social History of Medicine : the Journal of the Society for the Social History of Medicine
M Vaughan

Abstract

Metaphors of disease, illness and healing, though they operate in different ways in different cultures and historical periods, appear to have a remarkably common currency. This fact presents both problems and opportunities for the medical anthropologist and historian, and raises important issues of interpretation for both disciplines. The problem of defining the field of analysis in this wide-ranging world of health and sickness has led to a variety of solutions. Some have begun with a biological definition of illness; others have started with a cultural definition. No one definition will be appropriate for all purposes and a plurality of approaches is to be welcomed. However, there is a tendency evident in the literature on medicine and healing in Africa which may lead to the drawing of misleading comparisons between African healing practices and scientific medicine. Whilst the former are described in all their cultural complexity, the latter is often described by reference, not to practice, but to this system's theory of itself. Since elements of both the theory and the practices of scientific medicine now form part of many African healing practices, this tendency may obscure the dynamic reality of the world of healing and cu...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 12, 2002·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·T PistoneO Bouchaud
Dec 31, 1997·Health Care for Women International·R E Davis
Oct 5, 2013·Human Nature : an Interdisciplinary Biosocial Perspective·Doug P VanderLaanPaul L Vasey
Jan 1, 2011·International Quarterly of Community Health Education·Chidi UgwuNgozi J I'Aronu

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

International Quarterly of Community Health Education
Nkechi G Onyeneho, Joseph N Chukwu
Social History of Medicine : the Journal of the Society for the Social History of Medicine
Michael Jennings
International Quarterly of Community Health Education
J C OkeibunorC C Igboeli
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved