An Introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness

by Kevin White

"An accessible and highly readable introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness through the inclusion of key theorists, concepts, and theories, with reference to contemporary health concerns and recent relevant research." - Kylie Baldwin, De Montfort University

"Guides us through the many reasons for the centrality of health, showing clearly that health and illness are the products not just of our biology but of the society into which we are born...an authoritative analysis of the social nature of health."  - Ray Fitzpatrick, University of Oxford

This bestselling text introduces students to the core principles of the sociology of health, demonstrating the relationship between social structures and the production and distribution of health and disease in modern society. Written with a truly sociological and critical perspective, the book tackles themes such as class, gender and ethnicity, and engages with a range of theories and theorists, including Foucault, Fleck, Parsons, Weber, and Kuhn.

The third edition has been thoroughly updated to include the latest cutting-edge thinking in the area, with new empirical examples, updated references, and new sections on ′Thought Styles after Fleck’, and ‘Transformations of the Medical Profession.′ It also uses helpful learning features including chapter overviews, case studies, summaries and further reading suggestions, to provide stimulating and thought-provoking exercises for students in health, nursing and sociology schools.

Genres: Sociology

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Dr. Kevin White is a Reader in Sociology at the Australian National University. Kevin is a sociologist of health and illness, originally with interests in the history and philosophy of medicine. He also works on the political economy of health care systems, particularly examining the impact of privatisation on the health care system.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated. Although published in 2014, it portrays Medicine as a means for Capitalism to enslave people by labeling them, as a tool for men to dominate and enslave women. While there have certainly been horrible examples of Medicine gone wrong (think Tuskeegee) or consciously used to suppress dissent (think Russians diagnosed with mental illness if they opposed Communism, back in the day), to paint all of Medicine with that brush, especially now that more than half of medical school graduates are women, seem unfair. There were some interesting parts about the medicalization of lives, and some philosophically interesting parts challenging that Medicine is not really an objective science like physics, but only a "soft" science, where the "knowledge" is twisted to meet the needs of the ruling class. There were also self-contradictions. In one chapter, cervical cancer screening is derided as a male-driven attempt to dominate and medicalize a woman's body. In another chapter, though, about race, the fact that in Australia aborigines are not screened for cervical cancer at near the frequency of white women, is derided as racist. Wouldn't that mean that at least aboriginal women were being spared the medicalization of their bodies?

[Saskia P · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was assigned for a class, but it was interesting nonetheless to learn about the medicalization of childbirth and the connection between social institutions, class, race, ability and health.