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pece_annotation_1479071892

tamar.rogoszinski

The main finding or argument of this article is that a patient's culture will significantly impact a patient's narrative and description of their medical history. Each culture has its own stigmas and norms that can affect the way a patient views their own medical history. This is an important thing that doctors should recognize when analyzing and assessing a patient's situation and history. Also, there is discussion about how an illness can impact an individual physically, mentally, socially, and otherwise. Public perception is an important part of this article.

pece_annotation_1479071688

tamar.rogoszinski

The author is Byron Good, Ph.D. He is an American anthropologist and teaches medical anthropology at Harvard Medical School. His main focus is mental illness and the cultural meanings of it. He also explores patient narratives and the perspectives of non-Western medical knowledge and compareds different mental health systems. He has done research in Iran, Indonesia, and the US. He has several publications including papers, books, and editted volumes.

pece_annotation_1479072917

tamar.rogoszinski

Dr. Good primarily used case studies and interviews to help shape the argument and show how narratives of illness are shaped by many aspects of a person's life, specifically their culture. He also used statistics and other research to analyze these interviews and create a stronger understanding. 

pece_annotation_1479072821

tamar.rogoszinski
  1. "..."that is the perceptual world in which we find outselves and to which we are oriented, is organized through language and symbolic forms, as well as through social and institutional relations and practical activities in that world."
  2. "His illness had a powerful and meaningful beginning, which gave shape and coherence to the larger narrative."
  3. "It is tempting for a medical social scientist to enumerate the cultural beliefs concerning the cause and workings of epilepsy, then compare these with beliefs in other societies. People of course reason about illness, and culture provides the logic of that rationality."

pece_annotation_1479072545

tamar.rogoszinski
  1. Dr. Good provides an explanation of what a narrative is and how it is influenced by culture. He tells us how experience is completely cultural as it changes the way we perceive experiences. He also explains to us what a narrative is and the ways in which people can fall short in understanding someone's narrative due to their own influences. 
  2. He shares a case studies about people in Ankara as they share their narratives of their diseases and treatments
  3. Dr. Good analyzes the work of other anthropologists and researchers to help create his argument.

pece_annotation_1479073541

tamar.rogoszinski

This PDF does not include the bibliography, but it is clear that a lot of the work is original due to his traveling and conducting of research. His citatiosn throughout the chapter indicate that he did reference other knowledgable and notable anthropologists and their work helped frame his argument.