Part two: Alternative curing strategies in a changing medical situation

Abstract

The research reported in this paper deals with the alternative curing strategies employed by a Mayan Indian population in highland Guatemala caught up in a situation of relatively rapid medical and related change. Three competing systems of medicine are defined, and the utilization of different curing resources from each of these systems is described. Descriptive statistics and tree diagrams point out the heterogeneous nature of the curing strategies that derive from this situation. Statistical analysis is then used to investigate the relationships between resources used, the actual transitions between resources, and the relationship of these to background variables such as age, sex, wealth, and outcome. Several related explanations are offered for Indian reluctance to relinquish use of their traditional curers in spite of the significant gains enjoyed by modern medicine in a relatively short period of time.