Medical anthropologists thus try to study medicine and health within the context of the culture it comes from, which is known as ethnomedicine. It considers how culture affects medicine and health.

The history of medical anthropology stems from numerous other branches of anthropology, including religious anthropology and the study of rituals and health. Since World War II, anthropologists have often been involved in health initiatives around the world, with numerous health practitioners using anthropological methods to increase their efficacy

participant observation — a methodology in which the anthropologist makes first-person observations while participating in a culture. ethnomedicine — a culture’s traditional knowledge and treatments for the management of health and illness. health — a state of complete well-being. social health — an acknowledgement that one’s social interactions and standing are an important aspect of overall health.