Aboriginal health in Canada : historical, cultural, and epidemiological perspectives

Waldram, James B. (James Burgess) (Author). Herring, Ann, 1951- (Added Author). Young, T. Kue. (Added Author).

Summary: The authors explore the evidence for changes in patterns of health and disease prior to and since European contact, up to the present. They discuss medical systems and the place of medicine within various Aboriginal cultures and trace the relationship between politics and the organization of health services for Aboriginal people. They also examine popular explanations for Aboriginal health patterns today, and emphasize the need to understand both the historical-cultural context of health issues, as well as the circumstances that give rise to variation in health problems and healing strategies in Aboriginal communities across the country. An overview of Aboriginal peoples in Canada provides a very general background for the non-specialist. Finally, contemporary Aboriginal healing traditions, the issue of self-determination and health care, and current trends in Aboriginal health issues are examined.

Record details

ISBN: 9780802085795 (pbk.)
Physical Description: xii, 367 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
print
Edition: Second edition.
Publisher: Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [2006]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

An overview of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada -- Health and disease prior to European contact -- Contact and disease -- Aboriginal peoples and the health transition -- Medical traditions in Aboriginal cultures -- Traders, whalers, missionaries, and medical aid -- The emergence of government health services -- The organization and utilization of contemporary health services -- Aboriginal healing in the contemporary context -- Self-determination and health care -- Conclusion.