Life or the Soul
- Ultimately, there was no real way to overcome this "cross-cultural misunderstanding" (18.1). The U.S. medical system is filled with similar instances of conflict between Hmong patients and American doctors. Not to mention parallel stuff with other immigrant communities, too.
- Ah, the joys of smashing multiple cultures together in the same place. But let's fast-forward to new developmenty stuff. First, there has been some improvement. For example, a Hmong medical administrator named Bruce Thowpaou is currently pushing for increased use of "conjoint treatment" of Western and Hmong techniques (18.16). Nice.
- There's also a lot deal more culturally-conscious training available for doctors these days. Still, a few textbooks aren't going to be enough to solve the problem.
- It'll certainly help though. In 1996, a group called "Bridging the Gap" helps MCMC staff learn more about Hmong culture and get tips for dealing with Hmong patients.
- Though Anne often wants to take the Hmongs' side in all of this, even she must admit that Western medicine can be truly life-changing. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer.
- Basically, the main difference between Hmong and Western views of medicine is simple—Hmong treat the soul, Americans treat the body