Health Behavior in Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Guatemalan Example

During the past fifteen years the field of public health has become increasingly aware of the differences among cultures in regard to their beliefs and practices concerning health, disease, and curing. Few knowledgeable public health officials today are guilty of what Polgar has called the "fallacy of the empty vessels," or the belief that native peoples have no indigenous medical system. The literature abounds with descriptions of unique cultures and with examples of how particular customs and beliefs have interfered with or been utilized to further the successful introduction of Western medical practices.