A significant update of the 1990 state-of-the-art handbook on medical anthropology. With new chapters on AIDS, psychology and emotion, nutrition and bioethics, the text reflects the changes in medical anthropological theory and practice since the late 1980s. Chapters from the first edition are revised to reflect current trends and to include recent references. This work demonstrates the creative expansion and diversity in the field, amidst efforts to explore the individual sickness experience in the context of local cultures and global political and economic dynamics.