"The essays in Cosmos, Gods, and Madmen range over a wide array of topics across multiple geographic areas... Not all of the chapters touch on all three of the terms in the book's title, but they all contain important and fascinating ethnographic material and make some useful theoretical and methodological recommendations. It will not be news to any anthropologists that religion and supernatural agency is frequently implicated in the diagnosis and cure of illness, mental or otherwise, but the case studies are a welcome addition to the literature on medical anthropology and the anthropology of religion." * Anthropology Review Database



""Despite high levels of unpredictability and uncertainty, and in some instances even the failure of miracles, what is most striking is the universal and powerful incentive and motivation behind this search. In terms of the book's wider contribution, it provides an effective and timely response to the current comparative biomedical focus within medical anthropology, by reconnecting with its social origins." * Anthropology & Medicine



"The introduction to this book is very well-written and lays out the topic and scope clearly... The chapters have been collected carefully and offer much to the study of religion and healing" * Stefan Ecks, University of Edinburgh