Skeletal remains collected from the archaeological fields must be maintained carefully, for being used in scientific studies on the physical characteristics, health status, and pathological disease of the ancient or medieval human populations. Even if Joseon Dynasty Human Sample Collection might be a good example for such studies, few of bone collections predated the Joseon Age (e.g. Goryeo Dynasty) have been established until now, possibly owing to poor preservation condition of archaeological sites in Korea. In this study, we performed anthropological studies on a few cases of Goryeo skeletons, which have been rarely reported by anthropologists in Korea. Judging from the preservation status of bones found in various types of Goryeo graves (e.g. earthen- or stone-chambered tombs), many cases seem to be cremated in accordance with Buddhist funeral rites. Goryeo bone collections must be constructed with the bones identified in the earthen tombs, which were preserved much perfectly than those of any other types of Goryeo tombs.
Anthropology, Physical ; Archaeology ; Funeral Rites ; Humans ; Korea ; Skeleton

This study was to find out the perception of toward death and caring behavior of lay parsons in one community : One Island in Pusan County, Chonbuk. The methodology of this study was ethnography. For this study, The fieldwork was conducted from October 1997 to July 1998. Data collected by in-depth interview and participant observations. The participants consisted of were 17 persons of both sexes. The key informants were four specific people. The result of this study is as follows; The people perceived two different kinds of death. Normal death, which means death from old age. The person was respected as an ancestor God and was believed to exist forever with their offspring. Abnormal death was regarded as negative, many had fears toward this king of death. The causes of abnormal death were supernatural phenomena and had absolute holy meanings. Whether death was good or bad, The death was not personal, but collective events as family or community affairs and was interpreted as death and birth for their offsprings. Funeral rites were family-centered and/or community-centered. The did normal procedures for normal deaths for abnormal deaths, there were many protective ceremonies(BuJungmagi : the prevention of the taboo of uncleanliness) for the remaining people. These ceremonies combined confucism and shamanism. Caring behavior for dying persons was ruled as community-centered, reciprocal and reality-centered principles.
Anthropology, Cultural ; Busan ; Funeral Rites ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do ; Parturition ; Shamanism ; Taboo

Harappan Civilization is well known for highly sophisticated urban society, having been flourished in extensive regions of northwestern part of Pakistan and northeastern part of Afghanistan as its heyday around 4500 years ago. Most archaeologists agree on the periodization of this civilization as three different phases (Early, Mature and Late), which represent its cultural process of origin, development and decline. From the Harappan sites, one can note that there were about more than fifty burial sites discovered so far related with the civilization. In this article, we are trying to introduce the brief picture of the Harappan burials from the archaeological as well as anthropological perspectives.
Afghanistan ; Anthropology ; Archaeology ; Burial* ; Civilization* ; Humans ; India* ; Pakistan

The Harappan Civilization, one of the earliest complex societies in the world, flourished on the Indian subcontinent. Although many additional Harappan settlements and cemeteries have been discovered and investigated, no coupled burials at Harappan cemeteries have been reported to date. In 2013–2016, we excavated the cemetery of the Rakhigarhi site (Haryana), the largest city of the Harappan Civilization. At the site, we found a grave that turned out to be a coupled (joint) burial of the primary type. This report is the first anthropologically confirmed case of coupled burial from a Harappan cemetery.
Anthropology ; Burial ; Cemeteries* ; Civilization*

GyeongGi Cultural Foundation was requested the identification of eight excavated human skeletons from Neunggok residential development district within Siheung-si. Those were measured for distinguishing sex, stature, and age at death using metric and non-metric methods. The identification of eight human remains was not easy because the excavated bones were destroyed partly and totally. Six skeletons were excavated from the limed-soiled mixture tomb; five remains among 8 were buried in same grave and 2 skeletons were excavated from the earthen tomb. Four remains were determined female skeletons. One skeleton was assumed adolescence, three skeletons were estimated 40's~50's years old and others couldn't be done. Four among eight remain skeletons, the stature of female remains was around 150~157 cm and male's stature was around 165 cm. Most bones were damaged and destroyed, and the remaining teeth on the maxilla and mandible were not enough for identification. We couldn't identify through metric and non-metric methods. If the human skeletal remains were not found with artifact, those couldn't determine the period. So we couldn't know the relationship between the period of burial and condition of bones. For this reason, we will study the identification using the small and damaged bones. Anthropologists and archeaologists need to work together to make database to determine identification and period.
Adolescent ; Anthropology, Physical ; Archaeology ; Artifacts ; Burial ; Female ; Humans ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Skeleton ; Tooth

The paper is to explore into how cultural hegemony had been established in modern China, focused on ideological debates and political conflicts between modernists and traditionalists. Relying upon historical, anthropological, and medicohistorical researches respectively by Paul Cohen, Judith Farquhar and Paul Unschuld, I criticize three research paradigms that had prevailed in modern Chinese history: (i) the 'Chinese response to Western impact' perspective fails to explain how Chinese Western medical practitioners founded their own independent organization; (ii) a dichotomy of 'tradition versus modernity' is, from an epistemological viewpoint, incompatible with an ontological view of illness shared between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; and (iii) while those Weberian social scientists tend to consider culture as the system of meanings and symbols, separated from their temporal and spatial matrix, they neglect political and historical spheres that are inevitably represented in cultural hegemony. My arguments are divided into two parts. The first part investigates that whereas Chinese modernists aggressively supported an immediate institutionalization of Western medicine for getting adapted to social Darwinian world, neotraditionalists tried to maintain medical identity through national essence backed up by Chinese civilization. In the second part, the paper illuminates how having emerged as a conceptual idea for moving beyond 'tradition versus modernity', 'state medicine' became popularized to solve public health problems in 1930s' rural China. In conclusion, cultural hegemonyyoriented debates that were seriously staged in the 1920s and 1930s between modernists and neo-traditionalists were transformed to "scientification of traditional Chinese medicine and popularization of Western medicine" a slogan proposed by Mao ZeDong.
Anthropology, Cultural/*history ; China ; *Culture ; History, 20th Century ; Philosophy, Medical/*history ; *Politics

Due to poor preservation of human skeletons at most of archaeological sites, few specialists have carried out limited number of analysis of human bones and fossils in Korea. Worship of ancestor remains and poor development of bioarchaeology in the past may have prevented preservation and analysis of human bones. However, cases of extensive analysis with various methods, including DNA analysis, carbon isotope analysis, pathological analysis etc. have been increased very rapidly in recent years and make meaningful contribution to archaeological explanations of sites and ancient society. Development and rigorous application of various methodologies, in conjunction with related fields such as history and ethnography, to extensive analysis of human bone remains is highly recommendable even for the human remains excavated previously.
Anthropology, Cultural ; Carbon ; DNA ; Fossils ; Humans ; Korea ; Skeleton* ; Specialization

An interesting aspect of the many recent researches on the history of medicine in Korea is a concentration on oral histories, a trend that is sure to supplement the lack of medical documents and historical materials covering the modern period. This trend will also contribute to the invention of new approaches in the historiography of medicine. Although the fragments of oral testimony cannot be expected to give a perfect representation of historical reality, such "slices of life" help represent history from the viewpoint of ordinary people and members of the medical profession who are less often acknowledged. The recent researches that have taken oral testimony on the history of medicine in Korea have both racked up achievements as well as encountered limitations. First, many disciplines such as history, literature, cultural anthropology, folklore, sociology, and the history of medicine have used the technique of oral histories in the research approaches, and, especially since the start of the 2000s, have produced a variety of materials. The large amounts of raw materials published in these many disciplines are sure to bring even higher research achievements. Second, for the most part, oral history researches in the medical profession have concentrated on second-tier practitioners, such as midwives, apothecaries, and acupuncturists, and the experiences of such untypical sufferers as lepers and victims of germ and atomic warfare. While the oral history of more prominent medical figures tends to underline his or her story of success, the oral histories of minority participants in the medical profession and patients can reveal the truth that has remained veiled until now. It is especially meaningful that these oral histories enable researchers to reconstruct history from below, as it were. Third, the researches that take the oral history approach are intended to complement documentary records. Surprisingly, through being given the opportunity to tell their histories, the interviewees have frequently experienced the testimony as an act of self-healing. Formally, an oral history is not a medical practice, but in many cases the interviewee is able to realize his or her own identity and to affirm his or her own life's story. It is in this light that we need to pay attention to the possibilities of such a humanistic form of therapy. Finally, because the research achievements depend on oral materials, the objectivity and rationality of description take on an important research virtue. When conducting an oral history, the researcher partakes of a close relationship with interviewees through persistent contact and can often identify with them. Accordingly, the researcher needs to take care to maintain a critical view of oral materials and adopt an objective perspective over his or her own research object.
Achievement ; Anthropology, Cultural ; Complement System Proteins ; Folklore ; Historiography ; History of Medicine ; Humans ; Inventions ; Korea ; Light ; Midwifery ; Nuclear Warfare ; Sociology ; Virtues

Research in healthcare settings and medical education has relied heavily on quantitative methods. However, there are research questions within these academic domains that may be more adequately addressed by qualitative inquiry. While there are many qualitative approaches, ethnography is one method that allows the researcher to take advantage of relative immersion in order to obtain thick description. The purpose of this article is to introduce ethnography, to describe how ethnographic methods may be utilized, to provide an overview of ethnography's use in healthcare and medical education, and to summarize some key limitations with the method.
Anthropology, Cultural ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education, Medical ; Imidazoles ; Immersion ; Nitro Compounds ; Qualitative Research

This paper offers a selective overview of the increasingly popular paradigm of qualitative research. We consider the nature of qualitative research questions, describe common methodologies, discuss data collection and analysis methods, highlight recent innovations and outline principles of rigour. Examples are provided from our own and other authors' published qualitative medical education research. Our aim is to provide both an introduction to some qualitative essentials for readers who are new to this research paradigm and a resource for more experienced readers, such as those who are currently engaged in a qualitative research project and would like a better sense of where their work sits within the broader paradigm.
Anthropology, Cultural ; Data Collection ; Education, Medical ; Grounded Theory ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Qualitative Research ; Research Design