Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-179) and index.
1. The political symbolism of health -- 2. Banana medicine: the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica -- 3. The international imperative: foreign aid for health in Costa Rica -- 4. The primary health care movement and the political ideology of participation in health -- 5. Participation in Costa Rica: dissent within the state -- 6. La Chira: participation in a banana-growing community -- 7. The political economy of participation.