Medical Anthropology
Medical Anthropology is the study of the human experience of disease integrating biology and culture. Medical anthropologists look at every aspect of the disease process starting with how an individual recognizes and interprets symptoms, which persons they turn to for help, their understanding of the cause of the illness and the treatment. Medical anthropologists study health beliefs in a variety of ways: cross- culturally, historically, evolutionarily, as well as in applied research (Joralemon 2010: ix).
In the book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,some of Hmong health beliefs that the Lee family had about Lia's illness and treatment include:
-Lia Lee's epilepsy was caused when her older sister, Yer slammed the door and caused her soul to flee and become lost.
(Fadiman 1997:21).
-Hmong believe that the body has finite amount of blood that is unable to replenish, so repeated blood sampling, especially in young children can be fatal (Fadiman 1997:33).
-Spinal taps are crippling in this life and in future lives because the soul will get lost through the hole in the back. Lia got sick because they gave her too much medicine in the hospital
(Fadiman 1997:148).
For a more detailed definition of medical anthropology, please see this short clip presented by Dr. Laura Heinemann of Creighton University.