The utilization of traditional medicine— A Malaysian example

Abstract

This paper documents interviews with 100 people who had come to consult a traditional Malay healer, or bomoh. Many people use several types of health care resources. Traditional and cosmopolitan systems are not perceived as antagonistic: a bomoh will often refer patients to cosmopolitan practitioners and will reinforce compliance with cosmopolitan treatment regimens. Cosmopolitan medicine's inattention to the affective aspects of healing—its concentration on disease rather than illness—is an important reason why Malaysians are reluctant to use cosmopolitan services, and is one reason why the bomoh is consulted for physical as well as for psychological complaints.