Traditional medicine : a global perspective /

This volume's global perspective is rare. Following an overview of scientific, political, and social issues related to traditional medicine, succeeding chapters discuss practices from Africa to the Pacific Islands. The chapters are uneven in style, coverage, and perspective. An essay on European traditional medicine encompasses concepts of supernatural powers, the doctrine of signatures, and religious influence. The next entry is a practical approach to providing culturally sensitive, evidence-based care for Native Americans. However, the ten distinguished researchers all provide engaging contributions and together offer an introduction to the diverse aspects of this field. The WHO Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine, ed. by C. K. Ong, Gerard Bodeker, et al. (2005), which Traditional Medicine frequently references, would be a good companion volume. Related titles to consider include Medicine across Cultures: History and Practice of Medicine in Non-Western Cultures, ed. by H. Selin (2003), a larger collection of contributed chapters, and Rachel Spector's renowned textbook, Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness (7th ed., 2009), on the healing practices of US immigrants from around the globe. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and health care professionals. J. S. Whelan Harvard Medical School