Somatosphere welcomes you to the September edition of “In the Journals.” Scroll through our monthly round up of new research across anthropology, STS and social science journals. Technology and Culture The Problem with the Sex Toy Narrative: Design and Medical Intent in Early Vibrators Dianya Mia Hua This article challenges the dominant interpretation of early […]
In many parts of the world, there is an increasing discomfort with middlemen in the healthcare industry (Pearl, 2024). They are characterized as greedy, profit seekers and vilified characters that put money before health and proliferate the markets with fake medicines, putting public health in danger (Kaprove R and M.D 2014, Rowland D 2021, Edema […]
In one of the oldest streets in Tehran’s city centre, an informal pharmaceutical marketplace unfolds amidst a crowded street, where ‘dalals’[1] (brokers) stand on the pavements, hands brimming with packages of pharmaceuticals, whispering various medication names to pedestrians. Here Maryam, seeking Bisoprolol for her mother’s heart condition, engages in conversation with Davood, a dalal in […]
