Camel milk, amoxicillin, and a prayer: Medical pluralism and medical humanitarian aid in the Somali Region of Ethiopia

Carruth, Lauren

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.03.007

Cited by 37 publications

(36 citation statements)

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“…Medical pluralism, where traditional medicine is practiced alongside biomedicine, has a long history of overlap in indigenous populations within low-income countries [12–18]. How these “two medicines” coexist remains a matter of debate.…”

Section: The Coexistence Of Traditional Medicine and Biomedicinementioning

confidence: 99%

Medical pluralism and livestock health: ethnomedical and biomedical veterinary knowledge among East African agropastoralists

Caudell

Quinlan

et al. 2017

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundHuman and animal health are deeply intertwined in livestock dependent areas. Livestock health contributes to food security and can influence human health through the transmission of zoonotic diseases. In low-income countries diagnosis and treatment of livestock diseases is often carried out by household members who draw upon both ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) and contemporary veterinary biomedicine (VB). Expertise in these knowledge bases, along with their coexistence, informs treatment and thus ultimately impacts animal and human health. The aim of the current study was to determine how socio-cultural and ecological differences within and between two livestock-keeping populations, the Maasai of northern Tanzania and Koore of southwest Ethiopia, impact expertise in EVM and VB and coexistence of the two knowledge bases.MethodsAn ethnoveterinary research project was conducted to examine dimensions of EVM and VB knowledge among the Maasai (N = 142 households) and the Koore (N = 100). Cultural consensus methods were used to quantify expertise and the level of agreement on EVM and VB knowledge. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model patterns of expertise and consensus across groups and to examine associations between knowledge and demographic/sociocultural attributes.ResultsMaasai and Koore informants displayed high consensus on EVM but only the Koore displayed consensus on VB knowledge. EVM expertise in the Koore varied across gender, herd size, and level of VB expertise. EVM expertise was highest in the Maasai but was only associated with age. The only factor associated with VB expertise was EVM expertise in the Koore.ConclusionsVariation in consensus and the correlates of expertise across the Maassi and the Koore are likely related to differences in the cultural transmission of EVM and VB knowledge. Transmission dynamics are established by the integration of livestock within the socioecological systems of the Maasai and Koore and culture historical experiences with livestock disease. Consideration of the nature and coexistence of EVM and VB provides insight into the capacity of groups to cope with disease outbreaks, pharmaceutical use patterns, and the development of community health interventions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13002-017-0135-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: The Coexistence Of Traditional Medicine and Biomedicinementioning

confidence: 99%

Medical pluralism and livestock health: ethnomedical and biomedical veterinary knowledge among East African agropastoralists

Caudell

Quinlan

et al. 2017

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…Encompassing the previous ethical aspects, problems occur due to ignorance of the local culture and at least some basic language [ 50 ], or due to superficial cultural assumptions [ 8 , 68 ]. Humanitarian aid does not happen in isolation but within a multifaceted local health framework [ 69 ]. How patients understand the cause of illness (supernatural, microbes) influences how they comply with treatment plans [ 52 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More harm than good? The questionable ethics of medical volunteering and international student placements

Bauer

2017

Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines

134

103

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It has been argued that much of international medical volunteering is done for the wrong reasons, in that local people serve as a means to meet volunteers’ needs, or for the right reasons but ignorance and ill-preparedness harm the intended beneficiaries, often without volunteers’ grasp of the damage caused. The literature on ethical concerns in medical volunteering has grown tremendously over the last years highlighting the need for appropriate guidelines. These same concerns, however, and an appreciation of the reasons why current aid paradigms are flawed, can serve as indicators on how to change existing practices to ensure a better outcome for those who are in need of help. Such paradigm change envisages medical assistance in the spirit of solidarity, social justice, equality, and collegial collaboration.

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“…“People consumed butter and milk like it was water” (Male elder, Kebri Beyah, 15 August 2015). Consumed raw or converted into butter ( subagga ), milk, camel milk in particular, sustains Somali pastoralists moving through areas with limited water and food and provides varied nutritional and medical benefits (Carruth, ; Elhadi et al, ). “When you're a pure pastoralist and you have enough animals … their milk and butter mean that you don't need extra food and farming” (Male elder, Kebri Beyah, 21 July 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commodity individuation of milk in the Somali Region, Ethiopia

Pearson

Schmidt

2017

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Funding information Graduate Academy of Leibniz Universitaet HannoverLivestock is traditionally the central commodity for the Somali pastoralists of Ethiopia, a commodity that fulfils numerous purposes required to sustain livelihoods. Livestock commodification, however, is not limited to animal sales. Milk is a fundamental element of Somali life, used as a primary source of food for young animals and for human consumption. In the Somali Region, herders now sell milk, an act that was traditionally taboo, to supplement their income. Thus commodity individuation, processes that detach a thing from its traditional context and purpose and convert it into a commodity, has occurred. This paper deals with the recent phenomenon of commodification processes by identifying the degree of and reasons for milk individuation in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. The analysis shows the extent milk has been separated from its traditional context and addresses the cultural and economic impacts of milk individuation.

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Camel milk, amoxicillin, and a prayer: Medical pluralism and medical humanitarian aid in the Somali Region of Ethiopia

Cited by 37 publications

References 4 publications

Medical pluralism and livestock health: ethnomedical and biomedical veterinary knowledge among East African agropastoralists

Medical pluralism and livestock health: ethnomedical and biomedical veterinary knowledge among East African agropastoralists

More harm than good? The questionable ethics of medical volunteering and international student placements

Commodity individuation of milk in the Somali Region, Ethiopia

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