Question 1

The biomedical model tends to overlook the importance of

Accepted Answer

The biomedical model focuses primarily on biological and physical factors in illness and disease and tends to overlook the impact of social factors, including lifestyle, socio-economic status, culture, and community context, as important determinants of health.

Question 2

Fieldwork allows the anthropologist to accurately record the life and conditions of a people.These results are almost always shared with others-anthropologists,nongovernmental organizations,and more.Such efforts frequently lead to better awareness of a particular people or culture,and as Paul Farmer notes,do NOT often result in

Accepted Answer

Fieldwork often leads to direct or indirect intervention to help solve problems.

Question 3

Anthropologists have recognized that Western biomedicine draws heavily on

Accepted Answer

Western biomedicine is largely influenced by the values of the Enlightenment, including the belief in rational thinking, scientific inquiry, and evidence-based practices. These values have shaped the way modern medicine is practiced and developed, with a focus on understanding the biological and physiological mechanisms underlying disease and illness. While extensive medical education is certainly necessary for healthcare professionals, it is not the only factor that contributes to the practices of Western biomedicine. The experience of doctors in foreign countries and their willingness to practice alternative medicine may also play a role, but these factors are not as central to the development of Western biomedicine as the values of the Enlightenment.

Question 4

One of the immediate results of the Zanmi Lasante water project was a

Accepted Answer

The passage states that "Within the first year, infant mortality dropped by 50 percent." This is a clear indication that the immediate result of the Zanmi Lasante water project was a noticeable drop in infant mortality.

Question 5

Paul Farmer's work in Haiti using anthropological tools-local language,understanding social norms and values,and how people organized their own reality-led him to recognize that these same tools could

Accepted Answer

Paul Farmer's use of anthropological tools in Haiti helped him understand that health cannot be looked at in isolation from the social, cultural, and economic contexts in which people live. This realization led him to advocate for a broader definition of health, which includes social and economic well-being. Therefore, the use of anthropological tools can help doctors think about health in the broadest possible sense.

Question 6

The study of health care provided at Alpha House in New York City suggested that black women and other women of color were better able to withstand pain than white women,and were often referred to as more "primitive" by the health care workers.These attitudes stemmed largely from

Accepted Answer

The study suggests that the attitudes towards black women and other women of color being able to withstand pain and being "primitive" stemmed largely from stories and folklore about their bodies. This indicates that these attitudes were based on cultural beliefs and prejudices, rather than information from trained physicians, conflicts between physicians of different races, or Medicaid policies and directives.

Question 7

According to the text,the People's Republic of China moved to institutionalize traditional Chinese medicine through a number of different strategies,including the export of the practice to other countries.This was done in part to

Accepted Answer

China aimed to develop ties of solidarity with other developing nations by exporting traditional Chinese medicine, as part of its broader diplomatic and cultural outreach strategy.

Question 8

Critical medical anthropology considers the intersection of health care and systems of power: economic and political systems,race,class,gender,and sexuality.This necessitates that a critical medical anthropologist

Accepted Answer

Critical medical anthropology looks beyond the Western system of biomedicine and the focus on individual care to consider the intersection of health care and systems of power.

Question 9

According to the text,one consequence of the health transition is that

Accepted Answer

The health transition has led to improvements in healthcare and living conditions, contributing to a significant increase in overall human life expectancy over the past century.

Question 10

One of the most significant changes that Zanmi Lasante initiated in rural Haiti was the training of local community members as health care workers.Their success in identifying local health care problems and providing basic health services was due to

Accepted Answer

The success of local community members as health care workers in identifying local health care problems and providing basic health services was due to their ability to understand the local language, social structures, and values. This allowed them to effectively communicate with and gain the trust of the community, which in turn enabled them to provide appropriate and effective health care services. The other options (A, C, and D) are not supported by the information provided in the statement.

Question 11

Among the steps taken by anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer to improve health conditions in the rural community of Cange,one of the most important first steps was to

Accepted Answer

The provision of clean drinking water is critical in improving health conditions in rural communities. This prevents water-borne diseases and reduces the risk of infections that could arise from the use of contaminated water for cooking, cleaning or drinking. While providing food, physicians, nurses and foreign aid are also important, the lack of clean drinking water serves as a significant barrier to improved health in many communities.

Question 12

During the European conquest of North America,entire populations suffered due to the diseases brought to the continents by the conquering armies.In a very real sense,this early form of "globalization" held a type of medical migration.Medical migration as discussed in the text differs from this,however,in that today it

Accepted Answer

The text states that the medical migration discussed today also includes the movement of treatments for disease across national borders, which is different from the spread of diseases through conquest in the past. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect as the text does not imply that medical migration today only includes the movement of diseases across national borders. Option B is incorrect as the text does not mention faith-based healing. Option C is incorrect as the text does not discuss the impact of medical migration on the number of poor patients seeking treatment abroad.

Question 13

As discussed in the text,biomedical physicians diagnosed Lia Lee of Merced,California,as suffering from

Accepted Answer

Lia Lee was diagnosed with epilepsy by biomedical physicians.

Question 14

Surgical procedures are a component of ________ but are NOT a component of all health care traditions.

Accepted Answer

Surgical procedures are a component of the biomedical model, which is a Western medical tradition. Other health care traditions, such as ethnomedical practices found in non-Western cultures or traditional healing practices, may not include surgical interventions. Cultural competency and illness narratives are broader concepts that encompass understanding and respecting diverse cultural beliefs and experiences related to health and illness.

Question 15

Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Margaret Lock reported a case where,after hearing the story of a woman under tremendous personal stress,medical students

Accepted Answer

The answer of Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Margaret Lock reported a...

Question 16

The case of Lia Lee is significant for medical anthropologists because

Accepted Answer

The case of Lia Lee is significant for medical anthropologists because it represents a clear instance of medical pluralism, where the family's Hmong cultural beliefs clashed with the Western biomedical approach of the doctors. This conflict is a valuable research opportunity to better understand the dynamics of healthcare and the importance of cultural competence in medical practice.

Question 17

Chinese medicine conceptualizes qi as a type of energy found in all living things,something that must be in balance to maintain good health.This reflects the larger concept of health as a

Accepted Answer

Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of balancing qi, which is believed to be a type of energy that permeates all living things, including the body. This concept reflects the larger idea of maintaining harmony and balance in all aspects of life, including the relationship between heaven and Earth.

Question 18

Paul Farmer found rural Haitian residents experiencing vey high rates of malnutrition,dysentery,tuberculosis,and HIV/AIDS.Many of these residents were water refugees due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam and the resultant flooding.This problem underlines the difficulty of providing adequate health care in the face of

Accepted Answer

The high rates of health problems among rural Haitian residents are likely due to socioeconomic inequality, which can limit access to resources such as healthy food and clean water. The construction of the hydroelectric dam and the displacement of water refugees further exacerbate this inequality, making it difficult to provide adequate healthcare. While globalization, government corruption, and rural development projects may also contribute to the problem, socioeconomic inequality is likely the primary factor.

Question 19

Khiara Bridges suggests that the statistical data for racial disparities in health,which indicate that black babies die at twice the rate as white babies,is due to more than just poverty and may be a
Result of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Khiara Bridges suggests that the statistical data...

Question 20

The human ecosystem,composed of trillions of organisms in the human body,is understood as a

Accepted Answer

The term "human ecosystem" refers to the complex microbiome of microorganisms that inhabit the human body. It is not a system of discrete, biological entities, a collection of microbes used for the treatment of other diseases, or a potentially lethal collection of bacteria.

Quiz 14: Health and Illness