Foley, Ronan (2015) Indigenous Narratives of Health: (Re)Placing Folk-Medicine within Irish Health Histories. Journal of Medical Humanities, 36 (1). pp. 5-18. ISSN 1041-3545

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Abstract

With the increased acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within society, new research reflects deeper folk health histories beyond formal medical spaces. The contested relationships between formal and informal medicine have deep provenance and as scientific medicine began to professionalise in the 19th century, lay health knowledges were simultaneously absorbed and disempowered (Porter 1997). In particular, the ‘medical gaze’ and the responses of informal medicine to this gaze were framed around themes of power, regulation, authenticity and narrative reputation. These responses were emplaced and mobile; enacted within multiple settings by multiple agents and structures over time. The work is drawn from secondary material from Ireland, which identify more indigenous narratives of health and act as potential sources for medical humanities. While assumptions have been made as to the place of folk-medicine being essentially rural, evidence will be presented which shows a more complex network of health beliefs and practices. The narratives of informal practice and folk-medicine drawn from evidence from Ireland point to more fluid and hybrid relations with formal medicine and suggest that the complementary nature of the two models reflected wider cultural debates and models of belief (Del Casino Jnr., Health & Place 10:59-73, 2004).

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is the postprint version of the article available at DOI: 10.1007/s10912-014-9322-4
Keywords:	Folk medicine; Ireland; Healing; Water cures; CAM;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography
Item ID:	6369
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-014-9322-4
Depositing User:	Dr. Ronan Foley
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2015 16:09
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Medical Humanities
Publisher:	Springer
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://link.springer.com/journal/10912
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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