Health By the People: Sociology of Medical Lore

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: V. Sujatha

• Edition: 2003

• Binding: Hardcover

• Number of Pages: 184

• Languages: English

• ISBN: 8170337941

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book
This book delves into the fascinating world of folk medical knowledge, an area well-explored in the anthropology of India, but here it is examined in a fresh, innovative light. Unlike the traditional view of folk medicine as merely an appendage to folk religion or as an exotic practice of a single village, the book investigates the dialectics between the autonomy and interdependence of indigenous medical knowledge systems. The central theme of the book is the dynamic relationship between medical lore (which encompasses both knowledge and practices) and its operational application in real-life health conditions.

Based on field research conducted in villages of Tamil Nadu, the book examines the folk medical conceptions and health practices of the local communities. It highlights that these practices are coherent, active, and continually evolve within the community, making them an integral part of the lived health experiences. The focus then shifts to the social system that facilitates the organization, transmission, and distribution of this knowledge, emphasizing the networks through which medical knowledge circulates.

The book provides a critical look at how these indigenous health systems function and adapt in the face of modernity while maintaining their relevance in rural Tamil Nadu.

Contents

• Folk medical knowledge and practices in Tamil Nadu

• The autonomy and interdependence of indigenous medical knowledge

• Medical lore as a dynamic practice

• Organisational aspects of health knowledge in rural settings

• Transmission and distribution of folk medical knowledge

About the Author
V. Sujatha is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at Goa University. Her research interests include the sociology of health development and indigenous knowledge systems in India. Currently, she is researching social factors and health development in Goa.