The place of anthropology in the Science of public health

Abstract

Public Health Science and Medical Anthropology both approach the topic of population health, or public health, each from the positions of their respective scientific research discourses. Although different, these scientific positions can and do complement each other. Medical anthropology introduces a holistic approach to public health topics, while examining the issue from the perspective of the community itself. Since mid-20th century, in public health research an anthropological approach have been mainly used as a medium for the introduction of various public health interventions into different cultural contexts, i.e. communities. Starting from the 1980ies, medical anthropology has been gradually recognized as a science dealing with a critical analysis of public health as such. At the same time, among public health professionals it was gradually accepted that the application of anthropological, or, more precisely, qualitative methods in public health research contributed to a better understanding of the problem and gave special strength to evidence as a basis for the development and improvement of health policies, provided, of course, that it was used with quantitative indicators. However, the capacities of medical anthropology to critically examine the place and role of public health policies and interventions in a wider cultural context, as well as optimal opportunities for the development and implementation of health interventions in a particular cultural context, to evaluate public health response to a particular problem and the like, are still not sufficiently recognized in public health scientific discourse. In recent years, since outbreaks of epidemics such as Ebola in West Africa, or pandemics such as COVID-19, and the challenges they brought to public health professionals, there has been a better understanding of need for improved integration of scientific knowledge and methods of social sciences and humanities, including medical anthropology, into various fields of public health. The World Health Organization has formulated and adopted an initiative to apply behavioural and cultural insights to health starting from 2020. This concept emphasizes the need for greater application of social and humanistic scientific approaches and knowledge, including anthropological, to public health discourse. The prerequisite for practical cooperation between public health professionals and medical anthropologists is the formation of interdisciplinary research teams, but also their education in complementary scientific fields