How do medical knowledge and medical practices manifest in a globally interconnected world? What challenges does medical ethnology face in light of the transnational movements of people as well as medical-related ideas and practices? This volume highlights the importance of a social and cultural anthropological analytical approach when health and illness are to be adequately understood in a global context. It advocates for a nuanced consideration of the social and cultural dynamics that characterize the politics of the heterogeneous and power-laden field of 'medicine.' Case studies from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America illuminate the following areas: new technologies and medical practice, migration and medicine in transnational entanglements, 'traditional medicine' as a strategic resource, social security and health financing, and urbanization - a threat to health?.