Anthropology and International Health

Anthropologists Mark Nichter and Mimi Nichter examine some of the most significant health problems facing South and Southeast Asia and provide critical assessment of the ways these problems are approached by those engaged in primary health care.

The case studies presented are rich in ethnographic details and consider how local perceptions of illness and understandings of technical fixes influence demand for and use of medications, contraceptives, immunizations, and oral rehydration solution.

These informative essays demonstrate the relevance of anthropological research to international health and the application of anthropological theory in medical anthropology.