In Chapter 4, Joralemon discusses the interpretive perspective of illness. This involves the ways in which disease is perceived by the people who are affected by it. Do you think this perspective is important for health practitioners to pursue, or is it not really relevant in terms of diagnosing and healing diseases? Please give examples to support your opinion.
While it is important for medical students in our society to learn the science of medicine, how important do you think it is for them to learn about culture, in terms of cross-cultural healing traditions, etc.? In what ways would medical students benefit from being required to learn about cultural issues, such as what we are learning in medical anthropology? Should this type of training be required?
