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Medicine, Health and Society
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Medicine, Health and Society



March 2012 | 200 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

This book provides a contemporary account of why medical sociology matters in our modern society. Combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, and applying the pragmatic demands of policy, this Hannah Bradby explores society's response to key issues such as race, gender and identity to explain the relationship between sociology, medicine and medical sociology.

Each chapter includes an authoritative introduction to pertinent areas of debate, a clear summary of key issues and themes and dedicated bibliography.

 


 
Prologue: Sociology, Medicine and Medical Sociology
Introduction

 
Medical Sociology and Its Relationship with Sociology

 
Theory and Application

 
Sociology and Medicine

 
Interdisciplinarity and Multidisciplinarity

 
References

 
 
Introducing the Sociology of Medicine, Health and Society
 
Social Theory and the Sociology of Health and Medicine
Introduction

 
Parsons and Functionalism

 
Criticism of Parsons' Idealized Type

 
Theories of Conflict and Political Economy

 
Inequalities and Social Stratification

 
Interactionism

 
Phenomenology

 
Modernity and Post-Modernity

 
Social Constructionism

 
Post-Structuralism and Structuralism

 
Criticism of Constructionism

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
Health Inequalities
Introduction

 
Theory and Inequality

 
Inequity and Inequality

 
Measurement of Inequality

 
The Pattern of Health Inequalities

 
Causes of Inequalities

 
Healthcare and Inequalities

 
Global Inequality

 
Conclusion

 
 
Women, Gender and Feminism
Introduction

 
Feminism

 
Gendered Visibility

 
Gendered Polarity and Theorizing Difference

 
Reconceptualizing Gender

 
Undoing Polarities

 
Health Inequalities

 
Morbidity, Gender and the Effect of Work

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
Ethnicity, Racism and Difference
Introduction

 
Background - UK

 
Background - USA

 
Sociology of Race Relations

 
Ethnicity and Health Inequalities

 
Mental Health

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
Bodies, Pain and Suffering
Introduction

 
The Sociological Body

 
Dissecting the Body

 
Cultural Bodies

 
Biotechnological Bodies

 
Embodiment

 
Bodies and Disabilities

 
Bodies and Narrative

 
Mute Bodies

 
Meta-Narrative and Suffering

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
The Workings of Medicine
Introduction

 
Background

 
Medicine's Golden Age

 
Medical Power

 
Medical Imperialism

 
Proletarianization, Deprofessionalization and Corporatization

 
Challenging Medicine: Efficacy, Efficiency, Accessibility

 
Efficacy, Equity and Efficiency

 
Managers, Managerialism and Markets

 
Challenging Equity

 
Has the NHS Improved?

 
The Doctor-Patient Relationship in a Regulatory Framework

 
The Legal Challenge

 
Consumerism in Medicine

 
Specialization

 
Alternative Medical Practitioners

 
Medical Tourism

 
Medicalization in a Digital Era

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
Conclusion
Introduction

 
The Practice of Medicine

 
Medical Encounters

 
Biotechnology

 
Ethics and Expectations of Biotechnological Innovation

 
The Culture of Bioethics

 
Global Health

 
Medical Migration

 
Global Suffering and Sociology

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
Glossary of Terms

 

excellant for course

Mr Richard Tones
Health, Northumberland College
January 22, 2013

A useful addition in appreciating the complexities of Global health especially chapters 3 and 6

Mrs Jacqui Boulton
fnsnm, King's College London
September 20, 2012

An excellent book; well presented and highly informative. It does go slightly above the academic level our students require but would suit the more able. It provides a wealth of information that would underpin our sociology of health module. The tutors would find this a particularly useful book to refresh and up-date their knowledge. I would recommend that they read it and to refer to passages from it. In this way students will become aware of the book and possibly wish to get a copy. It would prove especially useful for those going to Higher Education to study any subject related to sociology of health.

Mrs Christine Deeley
Access to Higher Education, Norfolk Adult Education Service
May 21, 2012
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Sample Materials & Chapters

Prologue

Chapter Two


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