Saethre, Eirik J.2007-10-152007-10-152007-03Saethre, EJ 2007, 'Conflicting traditions, concurrent treatment: medical pluralism in remote Aboriginal Australia', Oceania, vol. 77, no. 1, pp. 95-110. [http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/publications/oceania/oceania1.htm]0029-8077http://hdl.handle.net/2263/3737In remote Aboriginal communities in Australia, researchers cast health beliefs and treatments as belonging to either an Aboriginal or biomedical system, which are considered to be irreconcilable and in conflict. Warlpiri people also speak of two distinct traditions that, they claim, are able to heal only specific classes of illness. Nevertheless, both Aboriginal and biomedical systems can be used simultaneously. An examination of two illness episodes will illustrate the complexity of how both Aboriginal and biomedical diagnoses and treatments are employed in a similar manner. I argue that while diagnosis is often stressed in statements regarding illness, it is only one of many factors that influence the treatment choices of individuals.166819 bytesapplication/pdfenUniversity of SydneyAboriginal AustraliansHealth careCosmological beliefsIllness behaviorAboriginal Australians -- MedicineMedical carePublic health -- Anthropological aspectsCosmology -- Aboriginal AustraliansSick -- PsychologyMedical anthropologyTraditional medicineArticle