Tbilisi State Medical University - USMD program - Medical anthropology

1. Samoa
A country in Oceania

2. Geography
• Samoan archipelago
• 9 volcanic islands:
• 5 eastern – American Samoa : Ta’u, Ofu, TuTulia, Aunu’u, Olosega (the Manu);
• 4 western – Independent state : Upolu, Savai’I, Manono, Apolima;
• The total land area is 2,830 Km2

3. Population
• The current population 198,263 (as of Saturday, December 15, 2018)
• Samoa ranks number 188 in the list of countries by population
• The population density in Samoa is 70 per Km2
The largest population in Tutulia and Upolu

4. Social organization
• Family - Aiga
• Mostly extended families – blood, marriage or
adopted connections
• head of the family - Matai
• Villages – Nu’u
• Council – Fono

5. Religions
• Christian congregational church of Samoa
• Roman catholic church
• Protestant church
• Non-Christian denominations

6. Health indicators - 19_th century
• Hospitable environment
• Vegetable and marine-based diet
• Isolation from outsiders
• High standard of personal hygiene
Samoans used to enjoy stable
period of good health
But Europeans arrived …

7. Leprosy
Tuberculosis
Elephantiasis

8. 7 November, 1918 – tragedy of SS Talune

9. .
• Healthcare resources
• Water treatment
• General sanitation
From the US
• Went through epidemiological
transition earlier
• Health indicator one of the best
in Polynesia
• Increased death from kidney
disease
• Obesity due to change in a diet
• Went through epidemiological
transition later
• Health indicator one of the worst
in Polynesia
• Respiratory
disease
• Frequent
flu
• Pneumonia
• Circulatory
disease
• High level
of diabetes

10. Health infrastructure
• Personal practices and healers – fofo
• By 1860, there were trained physicians in
Apia – foma’i
• In 1890 German navy established hospital
in Apia
• Women’s committees promoting hygiene –
komiti tumama
• By 1944 primary health care available in
ISS
• Hospitals built in many villages
• Training of biomedical practitioners takes
place in – Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, USA

11. Fofos still exist,
but not for “European disease”

12. Aitu
• The 3_rd category of god;
• Responsible for mischief and illness
befell Samoans
• Healing – discovering reasons of Aitu’s
acting
• Prayers – offering blazing fire, offering
Kava drink, calling priests;
• Later they gained medical knowledge
from European missionaries (in 50
years)

13. Pregnancy
Before Europeans:
• Pregnant women didn’t grow their
hair long;
• In 2-3 months only husband would
bring food;
• Husband’s family would bring pigs
as a present;
• Final gift by mother – taro;
• If a child was a boy umbilical cord
would be cut on a club;
• If a child was a girl umbilical cord
would be cut on a tapa (bark-
cloth);
After Europeans:
• Pre-natal clinics;
• At home in assistance of a
midwife;

14. Finally,(-_-)
THANK YOU!