Society and Health

Thomas, R.K. Society and Health: Sociology for Health Professionals . New York : Plenum Publishers , 2003 , $76 (hbk) xi + 374pp . ISBN 0-306-47746-7 . Society and Health is an incredibly well written and accessible text which, as its subtitle suggests, has been written specifically for health professionals. I am less convinced, however, by the claims made on the back cover of the book which state that the text is the first of its kind. Needless to say, there are many available texts very similar to Society and Health although, admittedly, fewer that address the needs of all health professionals in one swoop. The fact that this book is aimed at the generic health professional is both a strength and a weakness. It is a strength in that it may foster some sense of inter-professional working. Also, lecturers may find it useful to work with one text rather than several. However, as those who teach health professionals will probably recognise, different occupational groups often prefer texts specific to ‘their’ own area of practice; and therein lies this book's inherent weakness. That said, the book covers much of the material that one would expect to find in a text on sociology for health professionals and, on the whole, the material is covered well. There are 14 chapters in total, plus a glossary located at the end of the book. Chapter 1 introduces the nature of the sociology of health and illness, and provides a brief historical overview of this field. Chapter 2 deals with definitions of health, illness, sickness and disease and also considers definitions of ‘healthcare’. Chapters three and four address the social and cultural influences on health, beginning to explore the relationships between language and discourse and the relevance of cultures and subcultures for healthcare. The next chapter addresses the evolution of healthcare systems, specifically the US health-care system. Chapter 6 considers the organisation of healthcare and explores health behaviours, whereas Chapter 7 explores the sociology of the health professions, focusing mostly on a sociology of medics and the emergence of alternative therapists. Chapter 8 deals with social epidemiology and Chapters 9 to 11 address issues concerning health status, sickness behaviour and social stratification. The next chapter explores sociological explanations of deviance and the medicalisation of society. Then Chapter 13 addresses the sociology of mental illness; I found it useful but curious that it was dealt with separately rather than as an integral part of the sociology of health and illness more generally. The final chapter examines social change, technology and healthcare. There are two chapters which I found especially useful and which, I feel, set the book apart from similar texts. Chapter 8 on ‘Social epidemiology’ was one of these and largely because it is unusual to see a separate discussion of social epidemiology within a text on the sociology of health and illness. Although critical in places, the discussion is basic – but it introduces the reader to the field of social epidemiology and to some of its major areas of interest. Chapter 14 on ‘Social change, technology and healthcare’ is also a useful addition to this text. This chapter explores the cultural framework for healthcare and the implications of social change. Albeit brief, there is also some discussion of social movements and an analysis of the relationships between technology and social change. Students and lecturers might find this text very readable and its usefulness is enhanced through features such as additional resources, internet links and a glossary of sociological terms, as well as boxed examples within the text. However, as the book is written predominantly for the US market, and this is reflected in much of its style and content, I would hesitate to recommend Society and Health to the UK academy – especially given the range of other good texts already available in the area

Glossary · Health care · Health professionals · Linguistics · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Sociology of health and illness · Subtitle · Law · Philosophy · Public Health Policies and Education