Dew (sociology, Victoria U. of Wellington, New Zealand) argues that a Durkheimian perspective can provide insights into the place of public health in contemporary society. Taking public health as a re
Public Health, Personal Health and Pills explores the processes and effects of the increasing governance of our lives through pharmaceuticals, looking at the moral, interactional, social and political
Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a sociological investigation of CAM in contemporary society, and an exploration of the forces throughout the globe, across different institutions, and within different therapeutic spaces, that constrain or foster alternative medicine.Drawing on 30 years of research, the book identifies the trends in the use of CAM and explores the scientific, political and social challenges that CAM faces in relation to orthodox medicine. The author examines the varieties of CAM practices and how they manifest in different institutional spaces - including public inquiries, the orthodox medical practitioner's consulting room, medical journals and the homes of those who use CAM. It also compares unorthodox practices in different geo-political settings, namely the global north and the global south.This book is valuable reading for higher-level undergraduate and postgraduate social science students, including those in psychology, sociology, anthropology, health sci
This book comprehensively explores social, political and cultural dimensions of health in contemporary society. It addresses many issues and pertinent questions, including the following: Are we
Diagnosis, the classification tool of medicine, serves an important social role. It confers social status to those who diagnose, and it impacts the social status of those diagnosed. Studying diagnosis
