Iconic Images

The field of Medical Anthropology studies how culture affects the practice of medicine and also how medicine affects the practice of culture. In developing countries such as Guatemala symptoms for simple conditions such as stress, the flu or depression are seen as a curse. Guatemala is a country very true to its roots and beliefs of the super natural. They believe that the envy of others is strong enough to cause a curse to come upon a country. When a family member gets sick the people of Guatemala run to the local medicine man, church and practice their spiritual beliefs more than ever. The picture above is the best example of how Guatemalans think. This picture was taken from an I-phone and the most ironic part about it, is that is the center piece if a traumatologist’s desk. Not many people run to a clinic in Guatemala when they become ill and if they do the doctor does take into account their patients’ religion. Many time the doctor will prescribe home remedies because prescribed medicine can cost up to a whole month’s rent. Doctors themselves turn to religious and cultural practices when it comes to medicine. This picture shows me that religion and culture plays part in every aspect in the lives of the people living in  a “developing” country. The second picture is the picture of a Doctor in the United States prescribing medicine. The United States is a country of many diverse cultural and religious practices and beliefs. However, most of those practices and beliefs are only exercised on the days that one has a holiday to celebrate, church to attend to and or when one uses “religious purposes” to get out of an exam. We live in a modernized country where a small pill can take care of a fever, body ache and put you to sleep all at the same time. We forget to turn to our religious and cultural practices for strength to get through an illnesses. When one feels stressed, depressed or sick a doctor is immediately sought in hopes of being offered of a quick fix. This makes us a society dependent on prescribed drugs. Many times if a one type of medicine is not offered to us we are given an alternative. Although these medicines do help us fight off sicknesses how far do they drive us from our ancestors’ old cultural practices? How big is the separation between culture and medicine in the United States compared to a “developing” country. This is the gap that the study of Medical Anthropology studies and tries to understand.