CHILDBIRTH AMONG RURAL GREEK WOMEN IN CRETE: USE OF POPULAR, FOLK, AND COSMOPOLITAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS

This research examined the articulation of the cosmopolitan, folk, and popular medical systems in Modern Greece. The purpose was to elucidate the factors that contribute to the acceptance, rejection, or modification of cosmopolitan medicine in a traditional Greek Community. In order to provide for an in depth study of the coexisting medical systems, one type of health problem was researched: the area of female health problems and childbirth. The focus was on how the women see the complementarity of the overall system. The research sites were regional clinics and a relatively isolated village, served by those clinics, on the island of Crete. The research method was based on interviewing (in Modern Greek) and observation, focusing on case studies of rural Greek women. Detailed descriptions of the villagers\u27 experiences in the area of obstetrics and gynecology are given. The specific types of data elicited include: kinds of diseases and treatments used by cosmopolitan medical professionals, kinds of illnesses and therapies used by indigenous health practitioners, and popular conceptions (held by the village women) of illnesses and their cures. The decision-making process village women use in choosing a type of therapy was discovered. Conceptions of human anatomy and definitions of health also were elicited from the women and folk practitioners. The history and structure of the cosmopolitan medical system was examined, as well as the doctor-patient relationship. This body of data was analyzed using methods adapted from descriptive linguistics. It was found that the desire to be modern, or at least to appear to be modern, is the most significant factor affecting not only the choice of a particular physician and clinic, but therapeutic choice in general. Something is modern if it is urban and scientific, meaning technologically advanced. Nearly all rural women use the cosmopolitan medical system for obstetrical care. For gynecological problems and for birth control, however, much use is made of folk and popular or home treatments. This is due largely to the fact that female bodily processes are viewed as dirty and polluting by rural Greeks