Medical Anthropology Key Terms Flashcards
Passive immunity
Short-term immunity which results from the introduction of antibodies from another person or animal
Anthropometer
Instrument suitable for measuring nearly any linear dimension of the human body
Gini coefficient
Statistical measure of distribution used as a gauge of economic inequality, measuring income distribution among a population
Vitamins
Organic compounds essential for normal growth and nutrition that are required in small quantities as they cannot be synthesised by the body
Minerals
A chemical element required as an essential nutrient by organisms to perform functions necessary for life
Cardiovascular disease
Conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain, or stroke
Health belief model
Psychological model that attempts to explain and predict health behaviours by focusing on the attitudes and beliefs of individuals
Cartesian dualism
Mind body problem
Dividual
Separate/distinct
Mechanisms of a ‘control society’?
Quest narrative
An illness narrative in which illness is seen as a spiritual journey
Ethnomedicine
A study or comparison of the traditional medicine practiced by various ethnic groups, and especially by indigenous people
Hikikomori
Culture bound syndrome, in Japan, the abnormal avoidance of social contact typically by adolescent males
Reductionism
Analysing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of its simple or fundamental constituents
Structural violence
Form of violence wherein some social structure of social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs
Placebo effect
Some people experience a benefit after administration of an inactive substance which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself and so must be due to the patient’s belief in that treatment
Basal metabolic rate
The rate at which the body uses energy while at rest to maintain vital functions
Marasmus
Undernourishment causing a child’s weight to be significantly low for their age
Ponderal index
Index of weight in relation to height or length
Cure and healing
Curing means eliminating all evidence of disease, while healing means becoming whole
The Black Report
A 1980 document published by the Department of Health and Social Security in the UK, which was thereportof the expert committee into health inequality chaired by Sir DouglasBlack
FGM
The ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East
Bioelectrical impedance
A commonly used method for estimating body composition, in particular body fat and muscle mass
CVD
Cardiovascular disease-group of disorders of heart and blood vessels
Neoteny
The retention of juvenile features in the adult
Biomedicine
The branch of medicine concerned with the application of the principles of biology and biochemistry to medical research or practice
Neolithic revolution
The firstagricultural revolution. It was a gradual change from nomadic hunting and gathering communities and bands to agriculture and settlement