ABSTRACT
The Indian medical traditions Ayurveda and Unani are examples of the classical or naturalistic medical systems described by Bates in selection 3. This selection compares and contrasts these two healing traditions as a demonstration of the resilience of ancient medical systems and their adaptability to today’s conditions of medical pluralism. Through an analysis of explanatory models of both patients and healers, the selection shows how the experience and interpretation of a given disorder may vary significantly across cultures and medical traditions. It also provides detailed descriptions of two humoral medical systems, which have many connections to humoral beliefs and practices elsewhere in Asia, South and Central America, the Middle East, and the folk traditions of Europe and North America (see Foster 1994; selection 33).
