Anthropologists show that medicines are more than chemical substances with medical effects. They have social lives because they move between people, they carry meaning and offer possibilities for communication and control. As commodities they are objects of intense commercial and political interest. Using examples from five continents, this book takes up central problems in the study of medicines including social efficacy, symbolism, and commodification. It provides a readable and thought provoking introduction to current anthropological research on medicines in society.