Deck 17: Health and Illness

Question 1

In defending their ethnomedicine, the people of Chuuk point out that __________.

A) they have never seen germs, but they have seen ghosts that cause illness
B) Western medicine only cures Western diseases, not local illness
C) people treated with traditional medicine are cured faster than those who go to hospital
D) a combination of Chuuk medicine and Western medicine is the best approach

Answer 1

they have never seen germs, but they have seen ghosts that cause illness

Question 2

In their study of Maya ethnomedicine, Elois Ann Berlin and Brent Berlin have shown that __________.

A) their remedies have properties not that different from biomedical treatments
B) their treatment of disease is based entirely on the concept of balance
C) Western treatments fail to work in the Maya culture and environment
D) Maya women have among the most comprehensive knowledge of medicinal plants

Answer 2

their remedies have properties not that different from biomedical treatments

Question 3

As it stands today, the medical profession cannot tell us __________.

A) why the effectiveness of treatments varies from one group to another
B) which treatments are most effective for killing a virus
C) what medical side effects may come from a particular treatment
D) the major risk factors involved in spreading common diseases

Answer 3

why the effectiveness of treatments varies from one group to another

Question 4

After working with shamans in Africa, E. Fuller Torrey concluded that they use the same mechanisms and techniques to cure patients as __________ and achieve about the same results.

A) psychiatrists
B) massage therapists
C) physicians
D) acupuncturists

Question 5

Which humoral medical system contained six humors, in addition to a balance between yin and yang?

A) Chinese
B) Japanese
C) Ayurvedic
D) Greek

Question 6

Which common food has been shown to have general antibacterial properties?

A) garlic
B) tomatoes
C) cheese
D) strawberries

Question 7

What does Anthony Wallace suggest as a contributing factor to hysteria?

A) nutritional deficiency
B) gender roles
C) emotional stress
D) overpopulation

Question 8

Medical anthropology, and anthropology in general, are developing in the direction of a __________.

A) biocultural synthesis
B) postmodern paradigm
C) traditionalist movement
D) ideological revival

Question 9

In a cross-cultural study of 139 societies, George P. Murdock found __________ societies that did not have the belief that gods or spirits could cause illness.

A) two
B) seven
C) 10
D) 20

Question 10

Many cultures have the view that the body should be kept in __________.

A) a state of equilibrium
B) pure form
C) balance with nature
D) shape

Question 11

There is increasing evidence that the __________ of treatment may be as important as the __________ of treatment.

A) form; content
B) delivery; form
C) evidence; delivery
D) content; evidence

Question 12

Which of these is a goal of ethnomedicine?

A) discovering the health-related beliefs, knowledge, and practices of a cultural group
B) reducing the cost of health care to minority populations
C) understanding the risk factors and treatment strategies for infectious disease
D) developing new vaccines and medical strategies based on tribal medicine

Question 13

The bubonic plague killed between __________ percent of the European population.

A) 25 and 50
B) 5 and 10
C) 15 and 20
D) 70 and 80

Question 14

What factors do medical anthropologists think we need to consider if we are to reduce the suffering in human life?

A) biological and social
B) cultural and political
C) cultural and social
D) biological and political

Question 15

In the example discussed in the chapter, why did the Guatemalan villagers not use the free antimalarial pills provided to them?

A) They did not believe the free pills would work.
B) They were sure that malaria came from spirits.
C) They already had a sufficient treatment for malaria.
D) They were suspicious of government-supplied medicines.

Question 16

Which of the following must be balanced in the ethnomedicine of many Latin American and Caribbean cultures?

A) hot and cold
B) good and evil
C) male and female
D) light and dark

Question 17

__________ anthropologists expect the conception and treatment of illness to be culturally unique, while __________ anthropologists see cross-cultural similarities in conception and treatment of illness.

A) Relativistic; universalistic
B) Universalistic; fatalistic
C) Optimistic; relativistic
D) Fatalistic; optimistic

Question 18

How long does it take, on average, after exposure to the HIV virus for symptoms to appear?

A) four years
B) six months
C) three weeks
D) 10 years

Question 19

Before germ theory became dominant in Western medicine during the 1900s, medical systems in ancient Greece, Europe, and India believed that illness was caused by __________.

A) humors being out of balance
B) insect bites
C) angry ancestor spirits
D) witchcraft

Question 20

In societies with occupational specialization, __________ may be asked to convey messages or requests for healing to higher powers.

A) priests
B) shamans
C) physicians
D) sorcerers

Question 21

When incorporated into colonial territories or into countries, indigenous peoples usually become __________ and they are almost always __________.

A) minorities; very poor
B) dominant; wealthy
C) more educated; middle class
D) a social class; poor

Question 22

Which illness is thought of as a "culture-bound syndrome"?

A) anorexia nervosa
B) diabetes mellitus
C) depression
D) hypertension

Question 23

Which of these is an example of the placebo effect?

A) Patients report better effects from colored pills than from white ones, even though they contain the exact same medicine.
B) Medication taken at the same time each day is more effective than medicine taken as needed.
C) Women have a lower tolerance for medication than men, and therefore experience more side effects.
D) Patients ask their doctors for specific drugs after they have seen them advertised on television.

Question 24

Which of these is an example of a subjective stressor that could contribute to depression?

A) feeling like you should have a higher-status job
B) not having health insurance
C) poor overall health and nutrition
D) a family history of depression

Question 25

What may have an overall harmful effect on nutrition?

A) commercial or cash crops
B) foraging
C) intensive agriculture
D) small village horticulture

Question 26

Which of these would be an example of a personalistic practitioner within the biomedical model?

A) psychiatrist
B) surgeon
C) cardiologist
D) dentist

Question 27

Which illness is thought of as a "folk illness"?

A) susto
B) depression
C) anorexia nervosa
D) pibloktoq

Question 28

Consistent with the biomedical paradigm, physicians tend to treat patients __________.

A) as having conditions, rather than as complete people
B) with a consideration of the mind-body balance
C) for humoral and dietary imbalance
D) for underlying causes rather than for obvious symptoms

Question 29

Some researchers argue that, while the immediate cause of HIV infection is related to sexual intercourse, larger issues such as __________ increase the likelihood of such infection.

A) poverty
B) ethnicity
C) age
D) sex

Question 30

In the Hokkien medical system of Taiwan, what is a suitable treatment for blood loss?

A) "hot" remedies, such as baths and soups
B) "cold" remedies, such as iced drinks
C) ensuring a balance between phlegm and bile
D) ensuring a balance between yin and yang

Question 31

Lack of adequate nutrition usually results in what conditions for children?

A) retarded weight and height
B) tooth deformity
C) cognitive difficulties
D) lower social and economic standing in their society

Question 32

For most women in the world today, what is the biggest risk factor for becoming infected with HIV?

A) being married
B) age at first birth
C) ethnic group
D) nutritional status

Question 33

In what region would one find the belief that soul loss can cause illness?

A) Eurasia
B) the Mediterranean
C) South America
D) Africa

Question 34

Why do the poor often have more exposure to disease than wealthier people?

A) They live in more crowded conditions.
B) They tend to be dirty.
C) They are uneducated on how to get rid of disease.
D) They are just unlucky.

Question 35

How could a physician incorporate the culture's ethnomedicine into an Ojibwan patient's treatment?

A) The Ojibwa believe that serious illness is retribution for wrongdoing, so the patient should be given an opportunity to make amends along with his or her biomedical treatment.
B) Because the Ojibwa emphasize ritual in their healing practices, the physician should bring a traditional healer to work alongside him or her in the hospital.
C) The Ojibwa have no concept of germ theory, so the patient should be taught from biology textbooks so he or she will understand the principles of the treatment.
D) Because the Ojibwa believe in humors, the doctor should emphasize "hot" or "cold" forms of treatment as appropriate.

Question 36

Which is an example of a major cultural shift in a U.S. medical practice over time?

A) Fathers used to be excluded from birth, and mothers were only allowed to hold newborns infrequently.
B) We used to treat diseases such as polio and measles as viruses, but we now know that they are bacteria.
C) Vegetarianism used to be viewed as a healthy option, but is now linked to anemia and fatigue.
D) Doctors in the past were trained in sociology and psychology, but today their focus is strictly on the body.

Question 37

Patients with __________ education are __________ likely to seek alternatives to physicians.

A) more; more
B) less; more
C) scientific; less
D) religious; less

Question 38

Which of the following is an example of cultural practices that cause biomedical treatments to be ineffective?

A) the anti-vaccination movement in the United States
B) physical education classes in elementary school
C) the option of tablets or injections for migraine treatment
D) food nutrition labels required by law

Question 39

In socially stratified societies, the relative frequency of many diseases, health problems, and death rates varies directly with what factor?

A) social class
B) ethnicity
C) level of education
D) religious beliefs

Question 40

What has happened to the disparity in infant mortality between African Americans and European Americans in recent years?

A) The disparity between the two groups has widened.
B) Infant mortality is now higher in European Americans than in African Americans.
C) The disparity between the two groups has narrowed a little bit.
D) The two groups have relatively equal infant mortality rates today.

Question 41

Why is the ritual aspect of many ethnomedical traditions so perplexing to westerners?

A) There is an assumption in biomedicine that the mind is fundamentally different from the body.
B) We have no such rituals in our culture, and so do not understand why they are important.
C) There is evidence that ritual actually worsens the outcome of treatment.
D) Western cultures believe that the less fuss you make over an illness, the faster it will go away.

Question 42

How do "thrifty genes" serve people in famine-prone areas once conditions improve?

A) They become maladaptive, and lead to increased risk of diabetes and obesity.
B) They become maladaptive, leading to nutritional and caloric deficiency.
C) They become adaptive, helping people burn off excess fat quickly and easily.
D) They become adaptive, allowing for fast digestion of key nutrients.

Question 43

Outline the various reasons why poor societies, and poor individuals within societies, have higher incidence of illness.

Question 44

Which are perhaps the most important medical practitioners in societies lacking full-time occupational specialization?

A) shamans
B) priests
C) physicians
D) sorcerers

Question 45

Why is health generally not the focus of the biomedical paradigm?

A) Health is thought to be the absence of disease.
B) Health is an abstract concept that cannot be measured.
C) Doctors are more concerned with longevity than with feeling well.
D) Health is an idea borrowed from Eastern cultures.

Question 46

In addition to increasing the incidence of disease, what does post-colonial life do to indigenous communities?

A) It leads to greater substance abuse, violence, and depression.
B) It provides better access to good diet and health care.
C) It improves scientific education and literacy rates.
D) It reduces access to biomedical treatment.

Question 47

Compare and contrast the methods used by physicians and shamans.

Question 48

Do people in your own society have any beliefs regarding the role of supernatural forces in health and illness? Give examples, and compare these to cross-cultural patterns identified by medical anthropologists.

Question 49

Which of these statements is true of the relationship between biomedicine and ethnomedicine?

A) Biomedicine is embedded in Western culture, and therefore is a form of ethnomedicine.
B) Biomedicine has been clinically proven to work, but ethnomedicine is based on superstition and folklore.
C) Biomedicine has replaced ethnomedicine in all but the most remote communities.
D) Biomedicine is relatively rare, and is found only in European and North American societies.

Question 50

How do medical anthropologists approach mental health in other cultures?

A) They believe that each society's concepts of mental health must be viewed in their own terms.
B) They apply biomedical models of brain chemistry to mental health cross-culturally.
C) They argue that there is no such thing as mental health disorder outside the West.
D) They suggest that mental health issues are directly caused by globalization.

Question 51

How do most cultures view body weight?

A) Fatness is generally more desirable than thinness, because it is thought to be a marker of health and fertility.
B) Fatness is generally more desirable than thinness, because it is associated with a strong personality and willpower.
C) Thinness is generally more desirable than fatness, because it is thought to be a marker of youth and beauty.
D) Thinness is generally more desirable than fatness, because it is associated with education and high social status.

Question 52

What is a culture-bound syndrome? Identify three illnesses common to your own culture that may be viewed as culture-bound syndromes. Explain why other cultures may not recognize these illnesses.

Question 53

Why is the naming process so important for the treatment of disease?

A) Giving the disease a name assures the patient that the practitioner understands his case.
B) An unnamed disease is one in which there is not enough research to treat it effectively.
C) Naming the disease takes away its power, allowing the practitioner to fight it.
D) In many cases patients recover better if the disease is not named, because named diseases are scarier.

Question 54

How does the Hausa ethnomedicine compare to biomedicine's treatment for malaria?

A) Laboratory experiments support the biomedical efficacy of the Hausa treatments for malaria.
B) There is no evidence that the plants used to treat malaria have any effect.
C) Hausa botanical treatments are far more effective than biomedical treatments for malaria.
D) The Hausa treatment seems to be effective only when coupled with ritual and prayer.

Question 55

Distinguish between medicine's biomedical paradigm and medical anthropology's emphasis on a biocultural synthesis.