Problems in the definition and classification of medical systems

The paper has two basic parts. The first deals with definitions and terms. Discussed are: uses and definition of “medical system”; the question of “pluralistic” medical systems; simple and complex medical systems; the problem of multisystemic configurations; “sympatric” and “allopatric” systems; dominant and variant medical systems; sub-systems and marginal systems; problems in the conceptualization and use of “professional”, “popular”, and “folk” medicine. Some new definitions and usages are proposed.

The second part of the paper concentrates on attempts to type or classify medical systems. Geographic, healing-task, paradigmatic, world view, social structural, ecological, societal, and other typological bases are examined, and their relative advantages discussed. A summary of readily usable typological criteria is presented.

Overall, the goal of the paper is to call into attention our rather uncritical abandonment to “common usage” of the definition and treatment of key concepts and terms relevant to the functional and comparative analysis of medical systems.