ABSTRACT
The Yahi Indians were a small tribe who lived in the foothills of Mount Lassen in Northern California. After years of conflict with white settlers, by the late 19th century, it was believed that the tribe had died out. Vulnerability refers to characteristics that influence a group's capacity to resist and recover from the impacts of environmental change. Colonial policies also influenced contact history in various ways. In Latin America, native peoples were gradually incorporated into peasant underclasses created by Spanish and Portuguese land administration. The health impacts of contact differed in the New World and the Old World. In the New World, "contact-induced diseases were as much a prelude to European domination as its aftermath." In downtown Kyoto, people seeking relief from allergies, asthma, and fatigue often purchase herbal medicines at small pharmacies, one of several health care resources studied by Canadian anthropologist Margaret Lock. Many refugees and displaced populations combine self-care and traditional medicine with biomedical care.
