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Cultural Constructions of Efficacy

  • Chapter
The Context of Medicines in Developing Countries

Part of the book series: Culture, Illness, and Healing ((CIHE,volume 12))

Abstract

Healing should be understood as a process, comprised of stages to which are ascribed different meanings and for which the outcomes expected at each stage of prevention and therapy may vary from one medical system to another. Thus it follows that the efficacy of medical treatments can be properly evaluated only by multidimensional approaches that take into account this processual nature of healing, distinguish among emic and etic criteria that determine efficacy, and comprehend an interrelatedness among the biological and behavioral aspects of healing. The intent of this chapter is to demonstrate the implications of using such an approach, through review of recent literature in the areas of ethnopharmacology1 and cross-cultural studies in health care. Examples are drawn from the author’s research on Hausa (northern Nigerian) indigenous medicine (Etkin 1979, 1980, 1981; Etkin and Ross 1982, 1983) and from selected references.

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  1. Nina L. Etkin
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  1. Antropologisch-Sociologisch Centrum, University of Amsterdam, Oude Zijds Achterburgwal 185, 1012 DK, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Sjaak van der Geest

  2. Institut for Etnologi og Antropologi, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksholms Kanal 4, 1220, Copenhagen K., Denmark

    Susan Reynolds Whyte

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Etkin, N.L. (1988). Cultural Constructions of Efficacy. In: van der Geest, S., Whyte, S.R. (eds) The Context of Medicines in Developing Countries. Culture, Illness, and Healing, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2713-1_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2713-1_16

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