Paper short abstract:

Elaboration of ideas about the topics of medical anthropology and epidemiology. Through biomedical and sociocultural approach we try to find connections of biosocial construction with elaborated concepts of population structure analyses and possible applications in the domain of genetic epidemiology.

Paper long abstract:

Anthropology with subject of its concern comprises many fields that within a classical division of discipline are not represented enough. This specially pertains to the problem of accepting a rigid definition of the discipline, as well as medical anthropology as one of it's narrower fields. In the span of the last decades the subject of medical anthropological scientific domain was expanded on: new areas - from always frequent historical analysis of different cultural patterns in local communities believes in different parts of the world and consecutive cultural construction of that we call contemporary biomedicine to the genetic epidemiology and its connection with current ideas of applied anthropological investigations. Medical anthropology offers today much more than was provided for in the moment of creating its differentia specifica. At that time it was primarily based on observing and to the standard methodological ethnographical patterns of fieldwork as opposed to those that accept the almost immeasurable growth of specialised research techniques, especially in growing area of molecular genetics and human population biology, resulting in a following elaboration and appliance of different ideas and new research methods, approaching genetic epidemiology as well. In the panel our intention is to draw attention to the relation between anthropology on one side and epidemiology on the other - emphasizing that it was Derek Roberts who clearly presented almost thirty years ago fundamental problems of genetic epidemiology - which intertwine in anthropology - trying to enhance the wholeness of knowledge through approaches that are while different, also very close.