! HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE IN MEDICINE !

3.02 INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY!

Arnel E. Joven, PhD | October 13, 2016
LE 3
I.
OUTLINE

Anthropology
4. Medical Economics
2
understanding of institutions which affect
societies
A. Definition how supply and demand affect the supply of
B. Anthropology Undertaking medicine
C. What Anthropology Is Not how pharmaceutical industries deal with
II. Medicine in the Social Sciences marker forces to provide effective healthcare
III. Medical Anthropology Overview 5. History of Medicine
A. Definition how people in the past manage to achieve
B. The Role of Medical Anthropology health
C. Medicine in Medical Anthropology how medicine was done and how it has
IV. Medical Systems evolved today
A. Definition 6. Psychology
B. Examples of Medical Systems what forms individual behavior
V. Frameworks in Medical Anthropology
A. Phenomenology / Interpretivism
B. Social Interactionism III. MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY OVERVIEW
C. Political Economy
D. Cultural Ecology A. Definition
! How individuals and societies understand health,
Legend: deal with health
Remember Previous Trans ! Understanding the role of medicine in the society
Lecturer Book It is where historians cherish a degree of distance
(Exams) Trans Com
$ from their subjects that time provides, anthropologists
!! ! " # embrace a more intimate relationship with their
subjects through close interaction in the present.
(Dyck and Fletcher, 2010)
Studies human and social behavior, and how the
I. ANTHROPOLOGY culture of the people is a contributing factor on why a
group of people is like this (regarding health and
A. Definition health practices, e.g., why some people are more
Study of humankind prone to hypertension, DM (diabetes mellitus), etc.) #
Anthropology cant be defined but it can only be
described. It is involved with social behavior. # B. The Role of Medical Anthropology
1. Help people realize, re-discover, and understand that
B. Anthropology Undertaking there are social factors that affect their state of health
# One of the discipline that it has been into is medicine 2. Help medical professionals understand what is going
(started at looking into health practices, curing on with the patients, and hopefully be able to assist
practices) them, using that knowledge
! In more recent times, anthropology has evolved into How to become effective communicators of
something which competes with sociology, political health care without allienating your patients
!
science, economics
! It no longer studies specific society which is remote Get rid of the idea that you know better than
from you but a study of the contemporary society your patients. Dont make them feel that
your knowledge in medicine makes you
C. What Anthropology Is Not better than him !
Being ethically conscious
! not a study of exoctic societies/ cultures / cultures
3. Make society understand that there many medical
perceived to be less developed
systems that should complement, not compete with
# not supposed to delve into social advocacy or soco-
each other
political activism
In medical anthropology, medicine is
understood a set of cultures; how
II. MEDICINE IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
individually and collectively people deal with
healthcare and medicine in their respective
1. Medical Sociology
societies !
2. Medical Geography
The practice of medicine in the Philippines
3. Health Politics (Political Science)
is influenced by the western science/
How health policies affect healthcare
culture. But there are other sets of practices

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3.02 INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE IN MEDICINE 2020C
which can be eliminated/disregarded thru
bias !
C. Medicine in Medical Anthropology
Those cultural practices, methods, techniques, and
substances, embedded in a matrix of values,
traditions, beliefs, and patterns of ecological
adaptation, that provide the means for maintaining
health and preventing or ameliorating disease and
injury to its members (Landy, 1977)
It defines medicine as a cultural aspect. As a tool of
culture. As a tool of a society. A method, a way, a
system of a society to deal with how they can be
healthy in the presence of diseases or illnesses. #
Mutual relationship between the natural science,
Medicine and the Social Sciences
! The need to understand people
! Social science is remote from medicine; medicine is
hard, physical, natural science. However, in
medicine, you deal with people and social
science may help you in dealing with
o people
o patients
o yourself
o colleagues
! When placed in a position of authority (politics,
business industry), you have a more significant
role in medicine. Therefore, the need to
understand society as a whole
! Social sciences tries to understand how medicine
plays a role in the society; how medical science
contributes to the development of human societies
IV. MEDICAL SYSTEMS
A. Definition
This is the total organization of its social structures,
technologies, and personnel that enable it to practice
and maintain its medicine (as defined) and to change
its medicine in response to varying intracultural and
extracultural challenges. (Landy 1977)
B. Examples of Medical Systems
1. (Western) Scientific Medicine / Allopathy
what we are studying
product of western development
something that we can accept and replicate
in employing clinical practices
prioritized in the Philippines
recognized by legal and political institutions
globally
culturally acceptance due to the
predominance of the western society
2. (Western) Homeopathy, Chiropractic*
3. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)*
No need to become MD to practice this
4. (Japanese) Kampo Medicine*
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Pastrana, Pea, Priela
!
you have to be a medical doctor first before
you can study and practice this
5. Korean Oriental Medicine (KOM)*
No need to become MD to practice this
6. (Indian) Ayurvedic Medicine*
7. Philippine Indegenous Medicine
under Philippine medical system
did not prosper since it is unorganized
no disciples
herb doctors and traditional healers are
considered as quack doctors #
* Considered as complimentary/ alternative medicine; what the
traditional and conservative practitioner will consider as
kalokohan
**There have been attempts to merge Kampo Medicine and
Western Medicine but it's so difficult to reconcile both systems.
For example, Western Medicine doesnt cater to concepts of
yin and yang, chi and pressure points related to the flow of
energy in the body #
V. FRAMEWORKS IN MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
A. Phenomenology / Interpretivism
Definition: what comes to your mind when you do
that; a question of individual behavior
Individual behavior
o How do people, involved in a medical setting,
view what is going on?
o What goes on in the mind of a patient suffering
from a disease, disability, etc.?
o How does the medical professional think when
dealing with a patient/s?
o How are the behaviors of both doctors and
patients rooted in their respective culture/s?
! If you are male and you encounter a female patient,
there Is kahiyan factor. You must consider gender
expectation. A Muslim woman is different from a Afgan
woman.
! Your patient is not a normal day to day activity
Clarifying Phenomenology:
o Peoples from various cultures have created
systems to make sense of their medical
problems, in order to explain, or simply deal with
them.
o Popular culture (urban, westernized, modern) is
equally full of such systems.
o Modern, contemporary, urban society is
intricately linked to western science as culture.
o Understand that people have different
preference/ biases and world view
o There is no license to condemn people
B. Social Interactionism
Definition: how individuals deal with each other;
culture and social factors; how community (family,
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3.02 INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE IN MEDICINE 2020C
peer, classmates) affects each other; a manner of
where people go for information on health
Element of culture and social factors
o Understand what aspect of culture has driven
you to do this thing. #
o Social interactionism looks into the gatekeepers
of health. #
o From where or whom do you get information
about (your) health?
% Professional physicians
% Parents
% Teachers
% Media: social/ print (with a need for
regulation)
o What do you normally do when you get sick?
C. Political Economy
Definition: how state policies, economic forces, and
the government intervention affect health
o How do health policies (public health,
government health insurance system, sanitation,
etc.) affect peoples health?
o How does the economic conditions in a
particular place (locality, country) affect the
peoples state of health?
o Does economic condition have to be an
indicator of the peoples state of health?
o Does poverty have to be equated with disease?
o How will you contribute to remove the notion
that povery breeds disease? (not unique to the
Philippines)
In the Philippines, going to hospital denotes a need for
a lot of money culturally mediated by health policies
and market forces !
Filipinos understanding of health is very American
you purchase your health even in the presence of
SSS, Philhealth !
In Canada, Cuba: healthcare is relatively inexpensive.
Healthcare is very preferable in these countries,
however consider the fact that the health funds come
from taxes. Thus, in these places, taxes are high. !
In places where healthcare is cheap/ free, individuals
carry the burden of paying for their countries
healthcare. (Philippines, as an exemption - antaas ng
tax sa Pilipinas di naman mura ang healthcare!) !
There is a correlation between poverty and incidence
of disease & in an ideal community, does peoples
way of lives contribute to them being sick? #
There are certain ingredients that can make people
healthy that can assure health: nutrition, hygiene and
sanitary practices #
The idea that poverty equals to disease should be
dispelled #
D. Cultural Ecology
Definition: how is a community able to make use of
their resources (and transform them into medicine) #
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Pastrana, Pea, Priela
!
Problem with cultural ecology: mobility (i.e.,
migration) & causes limitation to cultural ecology
o How does the environment of a community or
society affect health conditions?
o How do ecological resources, topographic
conditions, and climate systems affect peoples
physiology and evolution?
o How do the people capitalize on available
resources in order to combat disease/s and
promote health?
Nutrition from food resources:
o Cultural perspective: To eat meat is a symbol of
social status
o Is the community a fishing village or a plantation
farm?
o Do the people have sufficient and balanced
access to proteins, fibers, and carbohydrates?
Factors that may affect health:
o Are there possible contaminants that may be
causing typical illnesses in the community?
o If your patient is an industrial laborer, then
expect that he is affected by chemical
contaminants. And you cannot easily tell him to
quit their jobs.
o There are chemical factors which may affect the
effectively of drugs.
Medicines from available resources:
o How will you as a physician maximize whatever
you have in order to provide healthcareyoure
your patients?
o How will you communicate with patients that
they can achieve a level of health without paying
a lot for it?
o Does the community actually make use of
available plants, animals, fungi, etc. as
medicines in combatting diseases?
o Does the community understand that there are
certain factors that may inhibit foreign or
imported medicines from being 100% effective?
When& we& talk& about& medicine,& it& is& not& something& that& is& perfect.&
Value& humility.& Medical& science& does& not& know& everything,& it& is& in&
the&process&of&perfecting&itself!&
EDITOR Mykee 3 of 4
 !
3.02 INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE IN MEDICINE 2020C

ANSWERS
1. c

SUMMARY 2. a
3. c
4. False
Notes: 1. Any of the following:
1. Anthropology, which has been into medicine, is a. Help people realize, re-discover, and understand that there are
social factors that affect their state of health
the study of humankind and is involved with social b. Help medical professionals understand what is going on with the
behavior. patients, and hopefully be able to assist them, using that knowledge
c. Make society understand that there many medical systems that
2. Medicine in the social sciences include: medical should complement, not compete with each other
sociology, medical geography, health politics,
medical economics, history of medicine and !
psychology.
3. Medical anthropology studies human and social &
behavior contributing to factors affecting peoples
health and health practices.
4. Medical system is the organization of its
components enabling it to practice, maintain and
change its medicine depending on intracultural
and extraculutural challenges present.
5. The frameworks in medical anthropology include:
phenomenology, social interactionism, political
economy and cultural ecology.

REFERENCES:
1. Dr. Jovens Lecture
2. 2019B Trans

The&best&doctor&is&not&to&fall&sick!
QUIZ:
1. A framework in medical anthropology regarding on
how individuals deal with each other is termed as:
a. Political economy
b. Cultural ecology
c. Social interactionism
d. Phenomenology
!
2. A framework in medical anthropology regarding on
how state policies and economic forces affect
health is termed as:
a. Political economy
b. Cultural ecology
c. Social interactionism
d. Phenomenology
3. The problem with cultural ecology that limits it is:
a. Morbidity
b. Mortality
c. Mobility
d. Fertility
4. True or False. Medical system is the partial
organization of its social structures, technologies,
and personnel that enables it to practice and
maintain its medicine.
5. State a role of medical anthropology.

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Pastrana, Pea, Priela