社会学和人类学方法之对于科学史和医学史的应用

Methods of Sociology and Anthropology in the History of Science and Medicine

人类学家的目标是发现一个民族甚或一个群体共享的、不同于他者的意义结构。共享的实在意义的全部组成,称之为文化。有很多方式把所有的身体异常划分成为种种疾病,不同文化中的人则做出不同的选择。因此,两种文化中的人不会患完全相同的疾病。信念可以引起和战胜真正的肉体疾病,因为身体对信念和意义做出响应。社会学家的目标是理解个体生活于其中的社会的结构、规范和价值观。社会学可以帮助我们理解不同社会里医生权力的差异,权力是他们治愈疾病能力的一个重要因素。新的疾病和疾病名称的改变,并非仅仅基于研究上的改进。医生就像其他社会成员一样,也对社会广为流传的价值观做出响应;如果他们不做出响应,他们就不可能非常成功地治愈患病的人。

Anthropologists'aim is to discover shared structures of meaning,which differed from one people or even one group to another. All parts of the shared sense of reality are called culture. People in two cultures do not have exactly the same diseases. There are many ways to divide all physical abnormalities into diseases,and people in different cultures make different choices. Belief can cause and also overcome real physical illness,for the body responds to belief and meaning. Sociologists'aim is to comprehend the structures,norms,and values of the society in which individuals live. Sociology can aid in understanding differences in the authority of doctors in different societies; authority is an important factor in their ability to cure illness. New diseases,and changes in the names of diseases,are not only based on improvements in research. Physicians,like all other members of society,respond to values that are widespread in their society. If they do not,they cannot be very successful in curing sick people.