17.4 Applied Medical Anthropology

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

  • Briefly explain how the biological processes of evolution and genetics impact human health and wellness.
  • Describe how human migration, social behavior, and cultural values impact gene flow, genetic drift, sexual selection, and human reproduction.
  • Define neuroanthropology.
  • Provide two examples of culture-bound syndromes.
  • Describe various ways in which political and economic forces impact health outcomes.
  • Explain how globalization has increased the flow of pathogens and introduced new diseases and viruses.
A group of people holding a rally in a public space. They hold signs reading “Clean Air Now” and “Clean Water Now.” One woman is holding a microphone and speaking.
Figure 17.11 Members of the Breathe Project, including anthropologist Ruth Fauman-Fichman (behind the speaker), protest the pollution caused by a decrepit steel mill near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (credit: “US-Steel-Air-Pollution-1100712” Mark Dixon/flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Anthropology is an adaptable field of study. Its principles, theories, and methods can easily be applied to real-world problem-solving in diverse settings. Medical anthropology is designed to be applied to the critical study and improved practice of medicine. Medical anthropology has been employed in corporate settings, has been used by doctors who want to reduce ethnocentrism or apply a holistic approach to medical research and medical education, and has informed the work of academics who want to effect policy changes. The following are but a few examples of applied medical anthropologists working to create change in the real world.

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The content of this course has been taken from the free Anthropology textbook by Openstax