The Work of Hospitals: Global Medicine in Local Cultures.

"The Work of Hospitals: Global Medicine in Local Cultures" is an ethnographic anthology edited by William C. Olsen and Carolyn Sargent. The book explores the tension between westernized hospital systems and local cultural practices, highlighting how this strain can undermine health delivery services and lead to poor health outcomes. Divided into three parts, the book examines the lack of inclusion of culturally-based practices in medical education, the disparity between hospital and cultural values in care giving and hospital labor, and the social hierarchies within hospital systems that reflect broader inequities based on age, gender, and ethnicity. The book offers detailed interview accounts that provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship between healthcare systems and communities, and emphasizes the importance of ethnography in uncovering the realities of healthcare disparities. While the book has some limitations, it serves as an essential tool for understanding global medicine and would be beneficial for students and instructors in the fields of global health and anthropology. [Extracted from the article]