It is becoming increasingly easier to locate the causes for many diseases; the flu is caused by the influenza virus, tapeworms are parasites, e. coli is cause by a bacteria, etc. However, determining the cause, and even the effects, of culturally bound syndromes is much more difficult. This book is a report of the findings of a study which utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to answer various questions and hypotheses pertaining to susto. The authors document their study, which searches for commonalities between asustado victims, in an effort to better understand the causes and effects of the folk illness.
Being an anthropology student, I found this book very interesting. It's a great book to read if you are interested in learning more about folk illnesses, or medical anthropology. Furthermore, the book could also be a beneficial tool for educators whom wish to teach proper research techniques, as the authors go into some depth about how their research was preformed. However, if one is not interested in the subject, then I would predict that this book will probably be pretty boring.