Medicine, Health and Society

Hannah Bradby's research on how ethnicity and racism intervene in the social relations of health has been published in various journals including 'Social Science and Medicine' and 'Sociological Research Online'. She co-edits the journal 'Ethnicity and Health' and is the 'Sociology of Health and Illness' monograph series editor. Hannah has taught both medics and sociologists at the University of Warwick since 2000, employing various representations of health, illness and suffering including written (memoire, letters, reportage, fiction, clinical notes, empirical research) and spoken forms (evidence from clinicians, patients and former patients, in various languages, and sometimes mediated by trained interpreters). She has worked on the core medical school curriculum and special study modules and has collaborated with students to publish books of their own sociological work, both written and photographic.

Prologue: Sociology, Medicine and Medical Sociology Introduction Medical Sociology and Its Relationship with Sociology Theory and Application Sociology and Medicine Interdisciplinarity and Multidisciplinarity References Introducing the Sociology of Medicine, Health and Society Social Theory and the Sociology of Health and Medicine Introduction Parsons and Functionalism Criticism of Parsons' Idealized Type Theories of Conflict and Political Economy Inequalities and Social Stratification Interactionism Phenomenology Modernity and Post-Modernity Social Constructionism Post-Structuralism and Structuralism Criticism of Constructionism Conclusion References Health Inequalities Introduction Theory and Inequality Inequity and Inequality Measurement of Inequality The Pattern of Health Inequalities Causes of Inequalities Healthcare and Inequalities Global Inequality Conclusion Women, Gender and Feminism Introduction Feminism Gendered Visibility Gendered Polarity and Theorizing Difference Reconceptualizing Gender Undoing Polarities Health Inequalities Morbidity, Gender and the Effect of Work Conclusion References Ethnicity, Racism and Difference Introduction Background - UK Background - USA Sociology of Race Relations Ethnicity and Health Inequalities Mental Health Conclusion References Bodies, Pain and Suffering Introduction The Sociological Body Dissecting the Body Cultural Bodies Biotechnological Bodies Embodiment Bodies and Disabilities Bodies and Narrative Mute Bodies Meta-Narrative and Suffering Conclusion References The Workings of Medicine Introduction Background Medicine's Golden Age Medical Power Medical Imperialism Proletarianization, Deprofessionalization and Corporatization Challenging Medicine: Efficacy, Efficiency, Accessibility Efficacy, Equity and Efficiency Managers, Managerialism and Markets Challenging Equity Has the NHS Improved? The Doctor-Patient Relationship in a Regulatory Framework The Legal Challenge Consumerism in Medicine Specialization Alternative Medical Practitioners Medical Tourism Medicalization in a Digital Era Conclusion References Conclusion Introduction The Practice of Medicine Medical Encounters Biotechnology Ethics and Expectations of Biotechnological Innovation The Culture of Bioethics Global Health Medical Migration Global Suffering and Sociology Conclusion References Glossary of Terms

In this timely book, Hannah Bradby brings together classic sociological writings and the latest research on the links between medicine, health and society. Bradby discusses a range of important issues with three main themes: patterns of illness in populations, health and illness in everyday life, and the promise and pitfalls of modern health care systems. Bradby offers insightful analysis as well as synthesis in areas such as inequalities, gender and ethnicity, where she is a leading expert. Throughout the book, Bradby's command of her material is impressive, and expressed in an approachable and lively style. Highly commended - a key work for all students of medical sociology Mike Bury Professor Emeritus of Royal Holloway College