'For sheer virtuosity it would be difficult to find another book like this in the field of Japanese studies; and it also exceeds the range of any book I know on health and illness. Ohnuki-Tierney has written about central aspects of Japanese society and thought in so persuasive a way that anyone interested in Japan will have to read this book. It will be a landmark.' Robert J. Smith

• List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; Part I. Basic Concepts and Attitudes Toward Health and Illness: 2. Japanese germs; 3. My very own illness: illness in a dualistic world view; 4. Physiomorphism (somatizion): an aspect of the Japanese illness etiology; Part II. Medical Pluralism: 5. Kanpo: traditional Japanese medicine of Chinese origin; 6. Medical roles of Japenese religions: a descriptive overview; 7. Medical roles of Japanese religions: a historical-symbolic interpretation; 8. Doctors and outpatients: biomedicine (I); 9. Hospitalization: biomedicine (II); 10. Medical pluralism; Summary; References; Index.

'For sheer virtuosity it would be difficult to find another book like this in the field of Japanese studies; and it also exceeds the range of any book I know on health and illness. Ohnuki-Tierney has written about central aspects of Japanese society and thought in so persuasive a way that anyone interested in Japan will have to read this book. It will be a landmark.' Robert J. Smith

• List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; Part I. Basic Concepts and Attitudes Toward Health and Illness: 2. Japanese germs; 3. My very own illness: illness in a dualistic world view; 4. Physiomorphism (somatizion): an aspect of the Japanese illness etiology; Part II. Medical Pluralism: 5. Kanpo: traditional Japanese medicine of Chinese origin; 6. Medical roles of Japenese religions: a descriptive overview; 7. Medical roles of Japanese religions: a historical-symbolic interpretation; 8. Doctors and outpatients: biomedicine (I); 9. Hospitalization: biomedicine (II); 10. Medical pluralism; Summary; References; Index.

'For sheer virtuosity it would be difficult to find another book like this in the field of Japanese studies; and it also exceeds the range of any book I know on health and illness. Ohnuki-Tierney has written about central aspects of Japanese society and thought in so persuasive a way that anyone interested in Japan will have to read this book. It will be a landmark.' Robert J. Smith

• List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; Part I. Basic Concepts and Attitudes Toward Health and Illness: 2. Japanese germs; 3. My very own illness: illness in a dualistic world view; 4. Physiomorphism (somatizion): an aspect of the Japanese illness etiology; Part II. Medical Pluralism: 5. Kanpo: traditional Japanese medicine of Chinese origin; 6. Medical roles of Japenese religions: a descriptive overview; 7. Medical roles of Japanese religions: a historical-symbolic interpretation; 8. Doctors and outpatients: biomedicine (I); 9. Hospitalization: biomedicine (II); 10. Medical pluralism; Summary; References; Index.