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medical sociology
and its overlapping sciences
Samantha Gmez | 27 April 2014 | Emily Prior| Sociology 1 what is medical sociology? Branch of sociology focused on the analysis of the whole field of medicine Spotlight on availability of medical care Look into the political and economic facets of medical care (e.g. different socioeconomic groups receiving varied standards of health care History of medical sociology Unbrokenly developed around 1930 Individuals did not refer to themselves as medical sociologists until after WWII Derived from 3 overlapping concepts: medicine as a social science; social medicine; and the sociology of medicine History of medical sociology, continued Doctors sought for social explanations, deviating from the clinical criterion for diagnosis Led to the development of social epidemiology Determinants of health Major contributors Rudolf Virchow studied the typhus fever epidemic in 1847, Upper Silesia (located mostly in Poland, with parts in Germany and the Czech Republic). He discovered the outbreak to be a mix of social and economic factors
Major contributors today Matthew Dupre, Ph.D Examined educational differences in age-specific rates of disease prevalence Found education affects the health of individuals with increasing age Social epidemiology Branch of epidemiology that studies the social distribution and social determinants of health Why do some people get sick while others dont? Epidemiology of Tuberculosis Case Study of social epidemiology Social factors contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS What do social epidemiologists look at? Factors of why people get sick: Socioeconomic status Gender Geographical location Education level How does society view medical sociology? Typically respected Most people accept the study findings Ex. During the H1N1 flu outbreak, many people received the vaccine and stayed away from pork (pigs being identified by epidemiologists as the carrier of the flu) Is it fair? Haves In the US, healthcare is most available to those with health insurance or the capital to pay for pricy procedures Have-nots Those in the lower class and/or are below the poverty line cannot afford such procedures A lot of retirees and elderly are not granted appropriate hospice care What would I change? More government funding to hospitals, universities, and facilities with social epidemiology research programs Universal healthcare (such as that of Canada) to allow those who need to receive medical care to have the opportunity regardless of socioeconomic status Meet in the middle. Allow subsidized healthcare rates for those who participate in social epidemiology research programs (donating bodies to science, clinical trials) Theoretical perspectives on medical sociology Functionalism and Conflict Theory functionalism Each internal organ must function correctly, together Main roles: sick role, healer role Sick role: patient; Healer role: doctors, nurses, epidemiologists Sick patients tell the doctor their symptoms which are passed to epidemiologists for data spreads
Ill have someone come in to prep you for the bill Conflict Theory Conflict theory is essentially the basis paradigm of medical sociology Constant conflict from those who cannot receive the care they need Haves and Have-nots Supports why certain people get sick and others stay healthy
Works cited Anspach, Renee R., and Nissim Mizrachi. The Field Workers Fields: Ethics, Ethnography and Medical Sociology. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web Bloom, Samuel William. The Word as Scalpel: A History of Medical Sociology. New York: Oxford UP, 2002. 11-12 Dupre, Matthew E. Educational Differences in Age-Related Patterns of Disease: Reconsidering the Cumulative Disadvantage and Age-As-Leveler Hypotheses. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 48.1 (2007): 1-15. SAGE Journals. Web. Kelly, Moira. Medical Sociology: An Introduction. Sociology of Health & Illness 31.5 (2009): 779-80. Academic Search Complete. Web Krieger, N. A Glossary for Social Epidemiology. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 55.10 (2001): 693-700. Pan American Health Organization. Web. Reid, Margaret. The Development of Medical Sociology in Britain. The British Sociological Association. British Sociological Association, 1976.Web. Sociol Epidemiology. Epidemiology. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Web.