LIBS646

The society and culture in which a people live shape their illness and healing experience. Illness and disease are determined and defined by the social, cultural, political and economic environment of the individual in his/her society. The type of healthcare sought by and accessible to a sick person is also largely determined by cultural background and socioeconomic class. Different cultures across time have had a variety of explanations for the causes of illness based on their understanding of nature which is reflected in the way they speak about and treat disease. Finally, we will examine the way biomedicine, the established healing art in the West, is practiced today. We will also study the role of non-western therapies practiced by many cultural groups in this country as well as the growing popularity of "alternative and complementary" medicine in the United States.