Illness and Culture in Contemporary Japan: An Anthropological ViewHealth care in contemporary Japan - a modern industrial state with high technology, but a distinctly non-Western cultural tradition - operates on several different levels. In this book Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney provides a detailed and historically informed account of the cultural practices and cultural meaning of health care in urban Japan. In contrast to most ethnomedical studies, this book pays careful attention to everyday hygienic practices and beliefs, as well as presenting a comprehensive picture of formalized medicine, health care aspects of Japanese religions, and biomedicine. These different systems compete with one another at some levels, but are complementary in providing health care to urban Japanese, who often use more than one system simultaneously. As an unequalled portrayal of health care in a modern industrial, but non-Western, setting, it will be of widespread interest to scholars and students of anthropology, medicine, and East Asian studies. |
Contents
Japanese germs | 21 |
Illness etiology and the source of healing power | 31 |
Purity and impurity in the contemporary Japanese world view and ethos | 34 |
The early Japanese world view and ethos | 35 |
outside opposition and the classification of people | 39 |
Further interpretations | 46 |
My very own illness Illness in a dualistic world view The concept of jibyo | 51 |
Cancer and suicide | 60 |
Overview | 143 |
Medical roles of Japanese religions A historicalsymbolic interpretation | 145 |
Occupational specializations of Japanese supernaturals | 149 |
Medical specializations of deities and buddhas in historical perspective | 153 |
Individual deities and buddhas with medical specializations | 159 |
Symbolic interpretation of medical specializations | 164 |
Doctors and outpatients Biomedicine I | 167 |
Past and present | 169 |
Discussion | 67 |
Physiomorphism somatization An aspect of the Japanese illness etiology | 75 |
Nonpsychological illness etiology | 76 |
Lack of interest in psychotherapy | 81 |
Emphasis on physiological treatment | 83 |
Discussion | 84 |
Medical pluralism | 89 |
Kanpo Traditional Japanese medicine of Chinese origin | 91 |
Comparison with biomedicine | 92 |
Increased recognition of kanpo | 102 |
Multiple levels | 107 |
Overview | 121 |
Medical roles of Japanese religions A descriptive overview | 123 |
Temples and shrines in contemporary urban Japan | 124 |
Ishikiri Shrine and its role in surgery | 126 |
Its role in obstetrics gynecology and pediatrics | 138 |
Visiting a doctor | 175 |
Pregnancy and childbirth | 181 |
Hospitalization Biomedicine II | 189 |
Introduction to a doctor | 190 |
Length of hospitalization | 191 |
The patient role | 194 |
Hospitalization as a human drama | 208 |
Discussion | 210 |
Medical pluralism | 212 |
Biomedicine in culture and society | 213 |
A descriptive summary | 219 |
Summary | 224 |
| 226 | |
| 239 | |
Other editions - View all
Illness and Culture in Contemporary Japan: An Anthropological View Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney No preview available - 1984 |
Common terms and phrases
aborted fetuses acupuncture American anthropologists Asahi attitude basic behavior biomedical biomedical doctors biomedicine body buddhas Buddhism Buraku burakumin cancer Chapter childbirth Chinese clinic concept contemporary Japanese culture and society custom daily hygiene death deities deities and buddhas diagnosis dirt discussion disease Edo period emphasis enma etiology examination example factors family members feel fetus fieldwork functions germs gift hara healing herbs hospital illness important individual institutions internal medicine interpretation Ishikiri Shrine Japan Japanese culture Japanese religions Japanese society jibyō Jizō kanpo kanpo doctors Kobe Kojiki Kōshin-sama marebito means medical systems modern Morita therapy mother moxibustion natal home notion nurse one's Osaka patient role patterns person physiomorphism popular practice psychological religious ritual sash satogaeri shaman Shinto sick social stomach structure supernaturals surgery symbolic symptoms taishitsu Taoist temples and shrines term Tokyo traditional treatment tuberculosis types United University visitors Western woman women world view Yanagita
Popular passages
Page 15 - We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds — and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds.
Page 3 - In yet others. however. it is used for any object. act. event. quality. or relation which serves as a vehicle for a conception - the conception is the symbol's 'meaning' - and that is the approach I shall follow here.
Page 3 - The alternatives in this venerable conflict between utilitarianism and a cultural account may be broadly phrased as follows: whether the cultural order is to be conceived as the codification of man's actual purposeful and pragmatic action; or whether, conversely, human action in the world is to be understood as mediated by the cultural design, which gives order at once to practical experience, customary practice, and the relationship between the two.
Page 13 - Estate, and multiple faculty summer research grants awarded by the Research Committee of the Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.