Medical sociology / William C. Cockerham.

Previous ed.: 1992.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Medical Sociology --Defining Health -- Contrasting Ideas about Health and Social Behavior-- The Development of Medical Sociology Summary --2. Epidemiology -- Epidemiological Measures -- The Development of Epidemiology -- The Complexity of Modern Ills: Coronary Heart Disease-- Disease and Modernization-- AIDS -- Summary --3. The Social Demography of Health p Age -- Gender-- Race-- Socioeconomic Status--Summary --4. Social Stress-- Cooley, Thomas, and Goffman: Symbolic Interaction --Durkheim: Functionalism -- Stress-- Summary --5. Health Behavior and Lifestyles-- Health Lifestyles-- Preventive Care --Summary --6. Illness Behavior-- Self-Care-- Sociodemographic Variables-- Recognizing and Coping with Illness Symptoms-- Summary and Conclusion -- 7. Healing Options -- Osteopaths-- Alternative Medicine-- Chiropractors-- Faith Healers-- Folk Healers -- Summary--8. The Sick Role --Illness as Deviance-- The Functionalist Approach to Deviance--The Sick Role -- Criticism of the Sick Role-- Labeling Theory -- Sickness as Social Deviance?--Being Sick and Disabled --Summary --9. Doctor-Patient Interaction -- Models of Interaction -- Misunderstandings in Communication-- Cultural Differences in Communication -- Patient Compliance --The Future of Doctor-Patient Relations --Doctor-Patient Relations and New Technology -- Summary --10. Physicians --The Professionalization of the Physician -- The Socialization of the Physician --The Power Structure of American Medicine-- Summary -- The Physician in a Changing Society -- Social Control of Medical Practice -- Government Regulation --The Coming of the Corporation -- The Changing Physician-Patient Relationship -- The Deprofessionalism of Physicians-- Summary.-- Nurses, Physician Assistants, Pharmacists, and Midwives-- Nursing: Past and Present -- Nursing: Future Trends -- Physician Assistants -- Midwives --Summary -- Hospitals --The Development of the Hospital as a Social Institution --Hospitals in the United States --The Organization of the Nonprofit Community Hospital -- The Hospital-Patient Role --The Rising Cost of Hospitalization -- Summary -- Health Care Delivery and Social Policy in the United States -- Rising Costs -- Equity in Health Services -- Distribution of Services -- Overview of Health Care Delivery -- Social Legislation in Health Care -- Health Reform -- Health Care: A Right or a Privilege? --Summary and Conclusion -- Health Care in Developed Countries -- Socialized Medicine: Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden -- Decentralized National Health Programs: Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and France -- Conclusion -- Health Care in Developed Countries Internet Sites p. 322 Health Care in Former Socialist, Socialist, and Developing Countries -- Socialist Medicine: Alterations in Russia, Poland, Hungary, and China -- Socialized Medicine: Saudi Arabia and Kenya -- Decentralized National Health: Mexico -- Fee-for-Service: South Africa -- Conclusion.

A contemporary account of medical sociology, grounded in current research and sociological theory. This edition includes new chapters on health care in Third World Countries, the First World and formerly Socialist countries, and discusses health reform in the US and Clinton's proposals.