Week 5 Activity Post

To see what we have learned over the duration of this class, it is safe to say that many theories, concepts, and explanations for phenomenon are relatively flexible as they approach to explain and work towards an understanding of the world around us. The country I had chosen is India, and the health issues I had chosen to maintain a relative focus on is malaria, diarrhea, and other illnesses of the sort. Now to analyze these individual health issues there will forever be the scientific aspect of things as we begin to think about the cell development, virality and other characteristics and natures of the illnesses within themselves.  However, developing a deeper understanding would rely on more characteristics and perspectives. In order to encompass this, I believe that the best way to approach analyzing these illnesses is by using the epidemiology and anthropology perspective. Using the knowledge regarding this theory and its concepts from week one it only seems fair to use as it encompasses a variety of perspectives within its examinations. However, before we tread any further we must develop a concrete understanding of what it means to analyze something under the perspective of, “epidemiology and anthropology”. As it encompasses two parts, discussion can be made of the first part, “epidemiology”. Dictionary.com defines epidemiology as, “the branch of medicine dealing with the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations”. To make this more simpler, it can be understood as the study of different types of illnesses and diseases. On the other hand we have anthropology, which can be defined as, “the science that deals with the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, and social customs and beliefs of humankind” (Dictionary.com). The best way I can generalize this concept is to discuss the idea of studying the evolution and development of life on all forefronts. Therefore, when we choose to embark upon using the perspective of epidemiology and anthropology the ideas of studying diseases and illnesses alongside the evolution of humankind is being put into affect.

To me the concept of being able to look into both perspective is what makes this perspective so devisable for the illnesses I have chosen within India. The broadness of being able to touch on some of the many perspectives within the epidemiological and anthropological perspective such as: the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, and several others in addition to the ones listed above earlier are a testament to the depth and concreteness of analysis that can be performed for these illnesses. One example of this analysis can be the talking about the geography and climate in India. In India, the terrain is relatively moist as a result of being closer to the equator. Having such a tropical climate that has humid conditions makes Indian Subcontinent an optimal host for illnesses and diseases such as malaria to thrive and develop. Here we mixed the science behind the climate and geography to develop an understanding of the illnesses and diseases at hand. Therefore, on the whole it can be seen that this summary allows for deeper understanding of the diseases and illnesses at hand by using several anthropological perspectives and aspects.

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