In Sickness and in Health

The anthology In Sickness and in Health: Sociological Perspectives on Healthcare introduces students to a range of topics and perspectives in medical sociology. The readings in the book explore the many different approaches medical sociologists take to critically evaluate health and illness as societal, rather than purely individual, concerns. The selected articles highlight the diversity of intellectual discourse in the field and elicit critical thinking, applications of theory, and lively discussion. The first chapter addresses the discipline of medical sociology and explores its history, as well as the theoretical roots of examining healthcare from a sociological perspective. Over the course of the subsequent nine chapters, students learn about topics such as the social construction of health, social indicators of health and illness, and trends in health-seeking behaviors. Other topics include mental health, lay versus expert knowledge, health and the environment, healthcare reform, global health issues, and bioethics. Accessible to undergraduates, but rigorous enough for graduate level classes, In Sickness and in Health: Sociological Perspectives on Healthcare is well suited to courses in the social and institutional aspects of healthcare.