Anthropologies of medicine

This volume explores the intersection of culture and psychosomatic medicine through various sections. The first section examines culture-specific paradigms, questioning whether functional syndromes are culture-bound and analyzing Viktor von Weizsäcker's medical anthropology in contemporary Heidelberg. It delves into the phenomenology of the body, addressing the subject-object problem in psychosomatic medicine and the significance of traditional medical systems, alongside women's narratives and identity in Southern Italy. The second section focuses on sociosomatics and ethnicity, highlighting the symbolic and physiological aspects of epigastric patients in Flanders, and the experiences of Greek-Canadian immigrants in Québec. It also traces the evolution of health research among migrant workers in West Germany from 1956 to 1986. The third section presents local cultures of biomedicine, investigating the culture of American oncology, the relationship between culture and cancer communication in Italy, and ethnological perspectives on severe illness. It also touches on Emil Kraepelin's influence on American psychiatric diagnosis. The fourth section transitions from patients' complaints to cultural narratives, exploring South Asian ethnography within the psychosomatic paradigm and comparing traditional European and Chinese definitions of illness. Finally, the fifth section analyzes medical systems and cultural change, discussing