This book is supposed to be a warm thanks to all those who have supported the Austrian Ethnomedical Society (Osterreichische Ethnomedizinische Gesellschaft) in the last three decades and who have turned it into what it is today. The 29 authors of this volume have been connected to the Society and the Unit Ethnomedicine and International Health, Medical University of Vienna, in various ways. Apart from the guest professors John Janzen, Wolfgang Jilek, Ma Kanwen, Margaret Lock, Richard Ralston, Sjaak van der Geest and Zohara Yaniv, many other medical anthropologists have contributed to this volume. After giving an introduction to the history of the Austrian Ethnomedical Society and other ethnomedical institutions, a selection of theories and research topics in current medical anthropology and ethnopharmacology is presented. This book is also dedicated to Els van Dongen and Nina Etkin, two medical anthropologists of international format and guest lecturers at the Unit, who recently passed away.

Distance and proximity are concepts par excellence to describe what may happen in times of illness and suffering. When one faces distress and suffering the need of proximity of the sick or suffering person may manifest itself, or the opposite, a need of distance exists. A doctor or an anthropologist may believe proximity is necessary, but the other can disagree. Illness raises questions for all individuals. The sick individual will question his or her relationship with others and being in the world. The authors of this volume take up issues of distance and proximity in illness and suffering in various situations.

"Els van Dongen" is assistant professor of medical anthropology at the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands). "Ruth Kutalek" is medical anthropologist at the Department of Ethnomedicine of the Institute for the History of Medicine, Vienna (Austria).