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Folk, alternative and complementary health care practices in contemporary Western society are currently experiencing a renaissance, albeit with features that are unique to this historical moment. At the same time biomedicine is under scrutiny, experiencing a number of distinct and multifaceted crises. In this volume the authors draw together cutting edge cross-cultural, interdisciplinary research in Britain and Ireland, focusing on exploring the role and significance of healing practices in diverse local contexts, such as the use of crystals, herbs, cures and charms, potions and lotions.
“…in this volume, the editors emphasise the interactional and interdependent nature of folk, biomedicine and other alternative and complementary treatments (CAM). Hence, the book will be of value not only to readers who are interested in folk, alternative and complementary medicine but also to those interested in biomedicine. I would recommend the book to many students, teachers, researchers and lay readers.” · Sociology of Health & Illness
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. Introduction: Folk Healing in Contemporary Britain and Ireland: Revival, Revitalisation or Reinvention?
Ronnie Moore and Stuart McClean
Chapter 2. Folk Healing and a Post-scientific World
Ronnie Moore and Stuart McClean
Chapter 3. The Medical Marketplace and Medical Tradition in Nineteenth-century Ireland
Catherine Cox
Chapter 4. Folk Healing in Rural Wales: The Use of Wool Measuring
Susan Philpin
Chapter 5. A General Practice, A Country Practice: The Cure, the Charm and Informal Healing in Northern Ireland
Ronnie Moore
Chapter 6. Rescuing Folk Remedies: Ethnoknowledge and the Reinvention of Indigenous Herbal Medicine in Britain
Ayo Wahlberg
Chapter 7. Crystal and Spiritual Healing in Northern England: Folk-inspired Systems of Medicine
Stuart McClean
Chapter 8. Medical Pluralism in the Republic of Ireland: Biomedicines as Ethnomedicines
Anne Macfarlane and Tomas deBrun
Chapter 9. Born To It and Then Pushed Out of It: Folk Healing in the New Complementary and Alternative Medicine Marketplace
Geraldine Lee-Treweek
Chapter 10. Beyond Legislation: Why Chicken Soup and Regulation Don’t Mix
Julie Stone
Chapter 11. Epilogue: Towards Authentic Medicine: Bodies and Boundaries
Stuart McClean and Ronnie Moore
Notes on Contributors
Index