Understanding and Exploring Illness and Disease in South Africa: A Medical Anthropology Context
Bonginkosi Maxwell Nkosi

Abstract
Illness and disease have crippled the world so dearly and sickness seems to govern the nests of the poor. As a result, medical anthropologists were keen to get a closer look at the relationship between human health and culture holistically. The basic proposition of holism in anthropology is that human behavior and human health arises out of complex interactions taking place within the cultural systems. This includes among other aspects, the health and wellness of human being in society. This paper provides an understanding of illness and disease by exploring ethno-medicine, medical ecology and bio-cultural as sub-fields of medical anthropology and further explore the cultural causes of illness and disease in South Africa and finally explore the understanding of people within the KwaDlangezwa area in KwaZulu-Natal.

Full Text: PDF