The health-disease process: a reflection in the light of medical anthropology

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1202
Author(s):  
Lucas Pereira de Melo ◽  
Elizabeth Regina de Melo Cabral ◽  
José Ademário dos Santos Júnior
Keyword(s):  
Medical Anthropology ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Disease Concepts ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Health Field

Objective: to discuss the health and disease concepts based on Medical Anthropology. Methods: this is about a critical reflection study. Therefore, was done a critical analysis of modern medical practices and their relationship with the culture. This discussion is based on, mainly, authors' experience in this study and research field and in the literature review. Results: it was discussed the paradigm concept’s and yours developments in health field. Some contributions that the field of Medical Anthropology has brought to the study of the health-disease process. Conclusions: finally, highlighted the importance of a critical perspective and theory based on the various events included in the health-disease and contributions for health professionals. Descriptors: health-disease process; medical anthropology; delivery of health care.

scholarly journals Health and disease as practical concepts: exploring function in context-specific definitions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rik van der Linden ◽  
Maartje Schermer
Keyword(s):  
General Definition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Disease Concepts ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Way

AbstractDespite the longstanding debate on definitions of health and disease concepts, and the multitude of accounts that have been developed, no consensus has been reached. This is problematic, as the way we define health and disease has far-reaching practical consequences. In recent contributions it is proposed to view health and disease as practical- and plural concepts. Instead of searching for a general definition, it is proposed to stipulate context-specific definitions. However, it is not clear how this should be realized. In this paper, we review recent contributions to the debate, and examine the importance of context-specific definitions. In particular, we explore the usefulness of analyzing the relation between the practical function of a definition and the context it is deployed in. We demonstrate that the variety of functions that health and disease concepts need to serve makes the formulation of monistic definitions not only problematic but also undesirable. We conclude that the analysis of the practical function in relation to the context is key when formulating context-specific definitions for health and disease. At last, we discuss challenges for the pluralist stance and make recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Vitiligo as a psychosocial disease: apprehensions of patients imprinted by the white

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (65) ◽  
pp. 481-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emerson Araújo Do Bú ◽  
Maria Edna Silva de Alexandre ◽  
Anderson Scardua ◽  
Cristina Ruan Ferreira de Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Thematic Content Analysis ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Disease Concepts ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
The City ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This study aimed to show the comprehension that patients bearing vitiligo have over their condition, also assessing the association with their health and disease concepts. It is a qualitative research with descriptive and exploratory purposes, carried out from an epidemiological survey throughout the years of 2010-2013, with records from a dermatology outpatient care sector of a seminal hospital located in the city of Campina Grande – Paraíba, Brazil. It was identified that from the 832 existing records, 13 were of vitiligo patients and, from them, eight agreed to be part of this study, answering a semi-structured questionnaire. Data examination was made using the Thematic Content Analysis technique, identifying four categories. Results indicated that the process of being stricken with the disease is directly related to social practices that target the “stained” subject, over whom vitiligo has imprinted its patches.

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