Socio-cultural factors in the aetiology of otitis media-an anthropological study in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Innumerable factors have been proclaimed to be associated with the pathogenesis of otitis media in the literature. The controversies shrouding the theories are a true reflection of the state of conflict in the mind. No truly satisfying hypothesis has so far come forward to satisfy the academician as well as the clinician. Hence, in order to comprehend the matters of clinico-pathological process involved, it is essential that one should try and look at the problem tangentially. Obviously it would mean looking at the problem beyond the established norms of clinical medicine, and delve into the paramedical fields of biomedicine and anthropology. This work is based upon the study carried out on the physical and cultural aspects of anthropology in Pakistani natives-to learn the intricacies of an extremely common problem called otitis media