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Cruel disease, cruel medicine: Self-treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis with harmful chemical substances in Suriname

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  • Ramdas, Sahienshadebie

Abstract

Why are potentially harmful, non-biomedical chemical substances, such as battery acid, chlorine, herbicides, and insecticides, used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL)? What drives people to use these products as medicine? This article is about perceptions of CL, and the quest for a cure, in Suriname, South America. It highlights the associative style of reasoning behind health seeking and discusses the use of harmful chemical substances as medicines. Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease, affects 1 to 1.5 million people globally. It has a spectrum of clinical manifestations, but the most prominent and disfiguring elements are extensive dermatological ulceration and scar formation from lesions. The data upon which this article is based are derived from anthropological research carried out in different parts of Suriname between September 2009 and December 2010. Data was collected through mainly qualitative methods, including interviewing 205 CL patients using structured questionnaires at the Dermatological Service in the capital Paramaribo. Almost all people with CL said they tried self-treatment, varying from the use of ethno-botanical products to non-biomedical chemical solutions. This article presents and interprets the views and practices of CL patients who sought treatment using harsh chemicals. It argues that a confluence of contextual factors – environmental, occupational, infrastructural, geographical, socio-cultural, economic, socio-psychological – leads to the use of harmful chemical substances to treat CL sores. This study is the first in Suriname – and one of the few done globally – focusing on social and cultural aspects related to CL health seeking. It aims to encourage health policy makers and health professionals to carefully initiate, provide, and evaluate CL treatment and prevention programs.

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  • Ramdas, Sahienshadebie, 2012. "Cruel disease, cruel medicine: Self-treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis with harmful chemical substances in Suriname," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 1097-1105.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:6:p:1097-1105
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.04.038
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Panter-Brick, Catherine & Eggerman, Mark, 2018. "The field of medical anthropology in Social Science & Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 233-239.
    2. Heemskerk, Marieke & Le Tourneau, François-Michel & Hiwat, Helene & Cairo, Hedley & Pratley, Pierre, 2022. "In a life full of risks, COVID-19 makes little difference. Responses to COVID-19 among mobile migrants in gold mining areas in Suriname and French Guiana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    3. P. M. Amegbor, 2017. "An Assessment of Care-Seeking Behavior in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District: A Triple Pluralistic Health Sector Approach," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(2), pages 21582440177, June.
    4. Ramdas, Sahienshadebie & van der Geest, Sjaak & Schallig, Henk D.F.H., 2016. "Nuancing stigma through ethnography: the case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Suriname," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 139-146.
    5. Kay Polidano & Brianne Wenning & Alejandra Ruiz-Cadavid & Baheya Dawaishan & Jay Panchal & Sonali Gunasekara & Haftom Abebe & Marciglei Morais & Helen Price & Lisa Dikomitis, 2022. "Community-Based Interventions for the Prevention and Control of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Systematic Review," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, October.

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