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Medical sociology
 
 
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At the centre of Medical sociology is the sociological study of the social institution of medicine
Medicine

Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, its knowledge, practice and effects. Medical sociologists investigate the social organization and production of health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 and illness
Illness

Illness can be defined as a state of poor health.It is sometimes considered a synonym for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist....
, includes relevant aspects of the sociology of the professions and science and technology studies
Science and technology studies

Science and technology studies is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these in turn affect society, politics, and culture....
 that relate to medicine and health care. They are also interested in lay experiences of health and illness, and some medical sociologists work at the boundaries of public health
Public health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis....
, demography
Demography

Demography is the statistical study of all populations. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic population, that is, one that changes over time or space ....
 and social gerontology
Gerontology

Gerontology is the study of the social, Psychology and Biology aspects of Ageing. It is distinguished from geriatrics, which is the branch of medicine that studies the disease of the elderly....
 to explore phenomena at the intersection of the social and clinical sciences.

Early work in medical sociology was conducted by Lawrence J Henderson whose theoretical interests in the work of Vilifredo Pareto
Pareto

Pareto can refer to:*Vilfredo Pareto , Italian sociologist, economist and philosopher;*Paula Pareto , Argentine judokaSeveral things named after Vilfredo Pareto:...
 inspired Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons

Talcott Parsons was an American sociology, who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927–1973. He produced a general theoretical system for the analysis of society, which was called action theory based on the concept on methodological and epistemological principle of "analytical realism" and on the ontological assumption of...
 interests ins social systems theory.






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At the centre of Medical sociology is the sociological study of the social institution of medicine
Medicine

Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, its knowledge, practice and effects. Medical sociologists investigate the social organization and production of health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 and illness
Illness

Illness can be defined as a state of poor health.It is sometimes considered a synonym for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist....
, includes relevant aspects of the sociology of the professions and science and technology studies
Science and technology studies

Science and technology studies is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these in turn affect society, politics, and culture....
 that relate to medicine and health care. They are also interested in lay experiences of health and illness, and some medical sociologists work at the boundaries of public health
Public health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis....
, demography
Demography

Demography is the statistical study of all populations. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic population, that is, one that changes over time or space ....
 and social gerontology
Gerontology

Gerontology is the study of the social, Psychology and Biology aspects of Ageing. It is distinguished from geriatrics, which is the branch of medicine that studies the disease of the elderly....
 to explore phenomena at the intersection of the social and clinical sciences.

Early work in medical sociology was conducted by Lawrence J Henderson whose theoretical interests in the work of Vilifredo Pareto
Pareto

Pareto can refer to:*Vilfredo Pareto , Italian sociologist, economist and philosopher;*Paula Pareto , Argentine judokaSeveral things named after Vilfredo Pareto:...
 inspired Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons

Talcott Parsons was an American sociology, who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927–1973. He produced a general theoretical system for the analysis of society, which was called action theory based on the concept on methodological and epistemological principle of "analytical realism" and on the ontological assumption of...
 interests ins social systems theory. Parsons is one of the founding fathers of medical sociology, and applied social role theory to interactional relations between sick people and others. Key contributors to medical sociology since the 1950s include Howard Becker, Mike Bury, Peter Conrad, Jack Douglas, David Silverman, Phil Strong, Bernice Pescosolido, Jospeh W Schnieder, Anne Rogers, Anselm Strauss
Anselm Strauss

Anselm L. Strauss was an United States sociology internationally known as a medical sociologist and as the developer of grounded theory, an innovative method of qualitative analysis widely used in sociology, nursing, education, social work, and organizational studies....
, Renee Fox
Renee Fox

Dr. Renee C. Fox is an United States Sociology and writer. She graduated summa cum laude from Smith College and earned her Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University in 1954....
, Joseph W. Schneider, and Thomas Szasz
Thomas Szasz

Thomas Stephen Szasz is a psychiatrist and academic. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York, New York....
.

The field of medical sociology is usually taught as part of a wider sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
, clinical psychology
Clinical psychology

Clinical psychology includes the scientific study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or Mental illness and to promote subjective Mental health and personal development....
 or health studies degree course, or on dedicated Master's degree courses where it is sometimes combined with the study of medical ethics
Medical ethics

Medical ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology....
/bioethics
Bioethics

Bioethics is the philosophical study of the ethics controversies brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, philosophy, and theology....
.

Further reading



See also

Important publications in medical sociology
List of publications in sociology

Foundations...
.