Book

White man's medicine: government doctors and the Navajo, 1863-1955

University of New Mexico PressAlbuquerque, N. M. • Published In 1998 • Pages:

By: Trennert, Robert A..

Abstract
This document is focused primarily on the efforts of the doctors and nurses of the Indian Service (known later as the Bureau of Indian Affairs) to bring medical care to the reservation Navajo. The primary focus of the study is on the period of 1863-1955. The account presented here discusses federal Indian policy seen largely from the standpoint of government employees. The text describes how the Navajo accepted some aspects of western medicine, yet fiercely fought against pressure to abandon their own healers as the government wanted them to do. 'The result was a long and complicated period of cultural conflict, bureaucratic bungling, politics, bigotry, and good and bad white doctors molded together to battle an overwhelming array of medical difficulties' (p. 10).
Subjects
Morbidity
Mortality
Acculturation and culture contact
External relations
Public welfare
Hospitals and clinics
Public health and sanitation
Magical and mental therapy
Shamans and psychotherapists
Medical care
Missions
culture
Navajo
HRAF PubDate
2004
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 2003
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
ca. 1860s-1970s
Coverage Place
Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico, United States
Notes
Robert A. Trennert
Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-277) and index
LCCN
97036481
LCSH
Navajo Indians