Philosophy Of Medicine
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Philosophy Of Medicine
The book, the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is an
objective look into the world of two different cultures and their belief
systems. The viewpoints of the Hmong and of the American doctors represent Hmong
culture and the root of Western medicine. The book takes into account how two
cultures, rather, two completely opposite worlds are “collided” and their
impact on each other (Fadiman 1997). The book uncovers the underlying meaning of
how different Western medicine can be from different cultures and its challenges
and consequences. In addition, Fadiman questions the very basics of philosophy
by taking into account the simple metaphysics and moral ethics that face Lia’s
doctors and parents and what role society plays. The book questions the belief
system of Western medicine as well as the Hmong beliefs and cultural practices.
Fadiman encourages us to think of the root of Western culture and medicine as
well as learning about the Hmong’s beliefs. Which is more relevant? When a
patient is in a life or death situation, whose opinion and expertise on medicine
holds higher ground? In the case of Lia Lee, this was the problem. Why was Hmong
culture and practice irrelevant in the eyes of the many doctors and nurses that
cared for Lia? Reading this book, it is obvious to see the philosophy of western
medicine versus the Hmong culture. This book helps clearly define western
culture and its biomedical system by contrasting it to the Hmong’s. The book,
more than anything, else analyzes the epistemological, metaphysical, and moral
viewpoints of both western medicine and that of the Hmong culture and questions
their validity and effectiveness. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge(Tauber).
In this book, the theory of knowledge can be posed by one question. How did Lea
get sick? This question leads to two different viewpoints – Western medicine
and culture and the Hmong. The root of Western medicine is biomedicine. What
makes biomedicine unique and sets it apart from other cultures is the idea that
there is only one answer and one truth behind that. Simply stated, it is a
matter of facts and the question of what, not how(Tauber). This is the primary
difference between Hmong culture and Western medicine. In the book, Lia’s
doctors wanted to know the one problem that was causing Lia to have severe
seizures. They neglected to ask how Lia got sick. The view of Lia’s parents
was the complete opposite. They wanted to know how Lia...
The complete article is about 3975 words and 15.9 pages long.
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