Applied Medical Anthropology
Applied medical anthropology applies strategies to medical practice with the hopes of improved health care. Throughout history, medical anthropologists have recognized the impact of cultural beliefs and social processes on disease and health care and began efforts to apply strategies to medical practice. Today, anthropologists work both nationally and internationally to understand those culturally diverse groups whose cultural beliefs differ from traditional Western Medicine. Applied medical anthropologists work on health projects, teach in medical schools, and consult in hospitals, yet state the need to continuously explain their presence, and at times feel their work is questioned even within their own field (Joralemon, 2010: 98).
An example of medical anthropology being applied today is Mary Hayden, an American medical anthropologist who trains traditional healers in Uganda, in recognizing symptoms of the plague. In 2009, Hayden along with researchers from the CDC were trying to predict where the plague would hit in Uganda, by way of computer models. They encountered a major problem, the fact that many rural villages in Uganda do not have access to doctors or medical clinics. The distance is way too far for most to take by foot, especially when suffering from the plague. What they do have access to and believe in, is spiritual healers, such as Yoset ( see photo below). Hayden and her colleagues trained Yoset and other spiritual healers in Uganda in recognizing the symptoms of the plague and other infectious diseases. When they do notice any symptoms, they then refer the person to proper medical care. Since the start of their collaboration with spiritual healers in Uganda, more than 150 people have been referred to local hospitals. Further, the network helped the CDC prevent the transmission of the pneumonic plague through the community. Hayden aspires to grow the network to Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Doucleff, 2013).
Applied medical anthropology applies strategies to medical practice with the hopes of improved health care. Throughout history, medical anthropologists have recognized the impact of cultural beliefs and social processes on disease and health care and began efforts to apply strategies to medical practice. Today, anthropologists work both nationally and internationally to understand those culturally diverse groups whose cultural beliefs differ from traditional Western Medicine. Applied medical anthropologists work on health projects, teach in medical schools, and consult in hospitals, yet state the need to continuously explain their presence, and at times feel their work is questioned even within their own field (Joralemon, 2010: 98).
An example of medical anthropology being applied today is Mary Hayden, an American medical anthropologist who trains traditional healers in Uganda, in recognizing symptoms of the plague. In 2009, Hayden along with researchers from the CDC were trying to predict where the plague would hit in Uganda, by way of computer models. They encountered a major problem, the fact that many rural villages in Uganda do not have access to doctors or medical clinics. The distance is way too far for most to take by foot, especially when suffering from the plague. What they do have access to and believe in, is spiritual healers, such as Yoset ( see photo below). Hayden and her colleagues trained Yoset and other spiritual healers in Uganda in recognizing the symptoms of the plague and other infectious diseases. When they do notice any symptoms, they then refer the person to proper medical care. Since the start of their collaboration with spiritual healers in Uganda, more than 150 people have been referred to local hospitals. Further, the network helped the CDC prevent the transmission of the pneumonic plague through the community. Hayden aspires to grow the network to Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Doucleff, 2013).
photos obtained from http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/11/18/245958192/spiritual-healers-keep-watch-for-plague-in-uganda
