Few issues apply universally to people as poignantly as death and dying. All religions address concerns with death from the handling of human remains, to defining death, to suggesting what happens after life. The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying provides readers with an overview of the study of death and dying. Questions of death, mortality, and more recently of end-of-life care, have long been important ones and scholars from a range of fields have approached the topic in a number of ways. Comprising over fifty-two chapters from a team of international contributors, the companion covers: funerary and mourning practices; concepts of the afterlife; psychical issues associated with death and dying; clinical and ethical issues; philosophical issues; death and dying as represented in popular culture. This comprehensive collection of essays will bring together perspectives from fields as diverse as history, philosophy, literature, psychology, archaeology and religious studies, while including various religious traditions, including established religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism as well as new or less widely known traditions such as the Spiritualist Movement, the Church of Latter Day Saints, and Raelianism. The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying is essential reading for students and researchers in religious studies, philosophy and literature.

There exists today a fast growing availability of personal genetic information. Its prognostic impact and value for an individual or family member's health is sometimes unclear, whilst at other times it is clear-cut. The issue of whether to disclose genetic information does however have wide ranging implications. Avoiding the rhetoric of 'genetic exceptionalism', and drawing on an expanded field of bioethical, sociological and anthropological research, this book sets a new agenda for discussing the ethics surrounding the disclosure of prognostic genetic information. A hermeneutical approach reconsiders the ethics of disclosure in a variety of contexts in which genetic information is generated, requested, interpreted or communicated - from the provider perspective, but also from the moral perspectives of clients and their families. It is in situations of disclosure, in these different contexts, that genetic information meets morality. Providers and recipients can become vulnerable to the revelation or concealment of information, and the forms in which it may be provided. Disclosure Dilemmas invites readers to explore these contexts from an ethical viewpoint and will be a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in biomedical ethics.

First published in 1998, this book contributes to our understanding of emergent and resurgent infectious diseases and health ecology in developing areas through detailed spatial and temporal analysis of recent cholera and bacillary dysentery epidemics in Mozambique. The book examines the influence of environmental, demographic and socio-economic changes on the nature and context of cholera and bacillary dysentery. It provides a detailed background to the two diseases based on their ecology and contemporary status in human communities together with analysis of extensive primary field data centered on three key urban areas in central Mozambique. Influences are weighed up against factors relating to the individual ecologies of the different pathogens, primary subsistence, and the impacts of Mozambique's history of conflict and development policies on human vulnerability. The extensive case study material is used to provide clear indications of appropriate ways forward in the field of environmental health management.

First published in 1999, Maruyama explores some significant difficulties and differences in bringing the western hospice philosophy to the Japanese medical culture. Whilst not giving any definite answers, this study determines what some of the critical questions that need to be considered into Japanese medicine, as Mayuyama argues without defining these questions to begin with we cannot find appropriate solutions.

The pharmaceutical industry is praised as a world leader in high technology innovation and the creator of products that increase both longevity and quality of life for people throughout the world. At the same time, the industry is also criticized for its marketing and pricing practices and for its apparent anticompetitive responses to generic competition. Even its research and development priorities are criticized as being too closely driven by the goal of maximizing shareholder value, rather than the health of the public. Unfortunately, many of the critics of the industry fail to understand the complexities of the industry and its role in the nations healthcare system. This book uses the tools of economic analysis to explore the conflicting priorities and aims of the pharmaceutical industry, from both an American and worldwide perspective.
This is the second edition of a uniquely comprehensive and balanced discussion of pharmaceutical policy issues. All the chapters of the former edition have been fully re-written and extensively updated.
In addition, the book includes six new chapters on emerging topics such as the broadened role of FDA regulations and the increasing diversity of the industry. An entire chapter is devoted to the biotechnology industry and one to alternative medicines, often called "nutraceuticals." Another new chapter discusses segments of the industry that specialize in particular activities including generic drugs and drug delivery systems. The recent controversial expansion of Medicare to cover outpatient drugs is discussed in depth. The introduction is also updated to address the volatile pace of pharmaceutical innovation and how the pharmaceuticalindustry has responded to the emergence of managed care.

Library Collaborations and Community Partnerships illustrates the value of libraries and their resources through an array of alliances to improve health and enhance people's lives. It is unique in its illustration of key principles of collaboration, partner engagement, shared leadership, project development and outcomes measurement, as well as the challenges inherent in collaborations among diverse partners. The book includes collaboration exemplars focused on education, health, information literacy and capacity building for populations that experience access and resource disparities. It highlights the innovative use of existing assets, environments and diverse professions to broaden access to resources and information to those in need. The strategies, challenges, outcomes and lessons learned that are described in the volume have application for a variety of settings and populations. Highlighting the key role that libraries play in guiding successful interprofessional collaborations with communities, Library Collaborations and Community Partnerships should be of interest to academics, students and professionals engaged in library and information science, education, health care, social services and community organizations.

This book provides an introduction to decision analytic cost-effectiveness modelling, giving the theoretical and practical knowledge required to design and implement analyses that meet the methodological standards of health technology assessment organisations. The book guides you through building a decision tree and Markov model and, importantly, shows how the results of cost-effectiveness analyses are interpreted. Given the complex nature of cost-effectiveness modelling and the often unfamiliar language that runs alongside it, we wanted to make this book as accessible as possible whilst still providing a comprehensive, in-depth, practical guide that reflects the state of the art - that includes the most recent developments in cost-effectiveness modelling. Although the nature of cost effectiveness modelling means that some parts are inevitably quite technical, across the 13 chapters we have broken down explanations of theory and methods into bite-sized pieces that you can work through at your own pace; we have provided explanations of terms and methods as we use them. Importantly, the exercises and online workbooks allow you to test your skills and understanding as you go along.

"I can be a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a woman without having periods." This book explores two of the oldest and most important symbols of all time: menstruation and secondary amenorrhea. Women of menstruating age commonly experience secondary amenorrhea - a cessation of periods - but most people have never heard of the term, nor do they realise what it represents. Danielle Redland's curiosity as to why this is posits that menstrual conditions need to be decoded, not just simply treated. Surveying menstruation and Secondary Amenorrhea (SA) principally from a psychoanalytic perspective, with sociocultural, historical, political and religious angles also examined, Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Women, Menstruation and Secondary Amenorrhea draws secondary amenorrhea out of the shadows of its menstruating counterpart, and explores how narratives of womanhood and statehood dominate. Chapters on blood ideology and war amenorrhea, on Freud's treatment of Emma Eckstein and on the psycho-mythology of Pygmalion, present the reader with visions beyond patriarchy towards more thoughtful ideas on the feminine, challenging assumptions about gender, identity and what is deemed "good" for women. Rich in clinical examples, the book locates menses and their cessation at the heart of personal experience and examines psychosomatic phenomena, the link between psyche and body and the value of interpretation. From the author's own analysis to a variety of cases linked to hysteria, anorexia, stress, trauma, abuse, helplessness and hopelessness, individual stories and narratives are sensitively recovered and carefully revealed. This refreshing example of multi-layered research and psychoanalytic enquiry by a new, female writer will be of great interest to psychologists, psychotherapists, healthcare and social work professionals and readers of gender studies, history, politics and literature.

This book explores the legacy of the Latin American Social Medicine and Collective Health (LASM-CH) movements and other key approaches-including human rights activism and popular opposition to neoliberal governance-that have each distinguished the struggle for collective health in Latin America during the twentieth and now into the twnety-first century. At a time when global health has been pushed to adopt increasingly conservative agendas in the wake of global financial crisis and amidst the rise of radical-right populist politics, attention to the legacies of Latin America's epistemological innovations and social movement action are especially warranted. This collection addresses three crosscutting themes: First, how LASM-CH perspectives have taken root as an element of international cooperation and solidarity in the health arena in the region and beyond, into the twenty-firstcentury. Second, how LASM-CH perspectives have been incorporated and restyled into major contemporary health system reforms in the region. Third, how elements of the LASM-CH legacy mark contemporary health social movements in the region, alongside additional key influences on collective action for health at present. Working at the nexus of activism, policy, and health equity, this multidisciplinary collection offers new perspective on struggles for justice in twenty-first-century Latin America. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal, Global Public Health.

This is the first concise handbook on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) health in the past few years. It breaks the myths, breaks the silence, and breaks new ground on this subject. This resource offers a multidimensional picture of LGBT health across clinical and social disciplines to give readers a full and nuanced understanding of these diverse populations. It contains real-world matters of definition and self-definition, meticulous analyses of stressor and health outcomes, a extensive coverage of research methodology concerns, and critical insights into the sociopolitical context of LGBT individuals health and lives.

This book explores the legacy of the Latin American Social Medicine and Collective Health (LASM-CH) movements and other key approaches-including human rights activism and popular opposition to neoliberal governance-that have each distinguished the struggle for collective health in Latin America during the twentieth and now into the twnety-first century. At a time when global health has been pushed to adopt increasingly conservative agendas in the wake of global financial crisis and amidst the rise of radical-right populist politics, attention to the legacies of Latin America's epistemological innovations and social movement action are especially warranted. This collection addresses three crosscutting themes: First, how LASM-CH perspectives have taken root as an element of international cooperation and solidarity in the health arena in the region and beyond, into the twenty-firstcentury. Second, how LASM-CH perspectives have been incorporated and restyled into major contemporary health system reforms in the region. Third, how elements of the LASM-CH legacy mark contemporary health social movements in the region, alongside additional key influences on collective action for health at present. Working at the nexus of activism, policy, and health equity, this multidisciplinary collection offers new perspective on struggles for justice in twenty-first-century Latin America. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal, Global Public Health.

The Routledge Handbook of Social Work and Addictive Behaviors is a definitive resource about addictive behaviors, emphasizing substance misuse, gambling, and problematic technology use. Contents address their prevalence in various communities and populations globally, theories related to their origins and etiology, and what is currently known about effective intervention strategies, education, and research. Social work's biopsychosocial, lifespan, and person-in-environment perspectives underpin the book contents which are applicable to a wide range of professional and social science disciplines. Contents are divided into five sections: The scope and nature of addictive behavior and related problems Addictive behavior across the lifespan and specific populations Interventions to prevent and address addictive behavior and related problems Issues frequently co-occurring with addictive behavior Moving forward This handbook provides students, practitioners, and scholars with a strong focus on cutting-edge high-quality research. With contributions from a global interdisciplinary team of leading scholars, this handbook is relevant to readers from social work, public health, psychology, education, sociology, criminal justice, medicine, nursing, human services, and health professions.

The global health and fitness industry is worth an estimated $4 trillion. We spend $90 billion each year on health club memberships and $100 billion each year on dietary supplements. In such an industrial climate, lax regulations on the products we are sold (supplements, fad-diets, training programs, gadgets, and garments) result in marketing campaigns underpinned by strong claims and weak evidence. Moreover, our critical faculties are ill-suited to a culture characterized by fake news, social media, misinformation, and bad science. We have become walking, talking prey to 21st-Century Snake Oil salesmen. In The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science, Nicholas B. Tiller confronts the claims behind the products and the evidence behind the claims. The author discusses what might be wrong with the sales pitch, the glossy magazine advert, and the celebrity endorsements that our heuristically-wired brains find so innately attractive. Tiller also explores the appeal of the one quick fix, the fallacious arguments that are a mainstay of product advertising, and the critical steps we must take in retraining our minds to navigate the pitfalls of the modern consumerist culture. This informative and accessible volume pulls no punches in scrutinizing the plausibility of, and evidence for, the most popular sports products and practices on the market. Readers are encouraged to confront their conceptualizations of the industry and, by the book's end, they will have acquired the skills necessary to independently judge the effectiveness of sports-related products. This treatise on the commercialization of science in sport and exercise is a must-read for exercisers, athletes, students, and practitioners who hope to retain their intellectual integrity in a lucrative health and fitness industry that is spiraling out-of-control.

The UK has a deservedly strong reputation for work on understanding social inequalities in health, but there is some way to go in using research and other types of knowledge to reduce inequalities in child health. This revised and updated edition of an important report looks at macro public policy interventions, community interventions, and individual level interventions in a variety of settings, including infancy, early years, childhood, adolescence, and particular needs including looked after children. It considers 'what works' - or might work - in practice. There are new case studies, updated research references, and new reference to cost effectiveness - all relevant for doing the right thing in a climate of austerity. Drawing on evidence from the UK and beyond, the book presents these in an accessible form, not just for those who make decisions now, but also for the students of today who are the decision makers of tomorrow. The book is supported by a companion website, containing additional materials for both students and lecturers, which is available from the link above.

In Thailand, infertility remains a source of stigma for those couples that combine a range of religious, traditional and high-tech interventions in their quest for a child. This book explores this experience of infertility and the pursuit and use of assisted reproductive technologies by Thai couples. Though using assisted reproductive technologies is becoming more acceptable in Thai society, access to and choices about such technologies are mediated by differences in class position. These stories of women and men in private and public infertility clinics reveal how local social and moral sensitivities influence the practices and meanings of treatment.

Are children the passive recipients of influence from their parents and from society? Is their development determined by their genes and their neurons, or do they have the capacity to think about and influence their own lives and the world around them? How does their interaction with their social and material worlds support or hinder agency? Are children agents, and what do we mean by agency? Children as Agents in Their Worlds aims to answer these questions through a critical psychological and relational approach, while referencing and critiquing a wide range of perspectives from other disciplines including sociology, anthropology and education. Greene and Nixon review the pioneering work of scholars of childhood studies and current post-human theories of agency and offer a developmental perspective on the emergence of the sense of agency and the exercise of agency in children. They discuss key themes including agency in families, agency within the school context and with peers, and children as agents in the wider public sphere. They explore agency and diversity, examining sex, age, genetic inheritance and contextual sources of difference, such as social class and geographical location. Offering a stronger theoretical base for research and policy, through a synthesis of both psychological and relational theories, Children as Agents in Their Worlds will be essential reading for students and professionals in developmental psychology, sociology and anthropology, as well as education, childhood studies, children's rights and related fields.

Drawing on a growing consensus about the importance of community representation and participation for ethical research, community engagement has become a central component of scientific research, policy-making, ethical review, and technology design. The diversity of actors involved in large-scale global health research collaborations and the broader 'background conditions' of global inequality and injustice that frame the field have led some researchers, funders, and policy-makers to conclude that community engagement is nothing less than a moral imperative in global health research. Rather than taking community engagement as a given, the contributions in this edited volume highlight how processes of community engagement are shaped by particular local histories and social and political dynamics, and by the complex social relations between different actors involved in global public health research. By interrogating the everyday politics and practices of engagement across diverse contexts, the book pushes conversations around engagement and participation beyond their conventional framings. In doing so, it raises radical questions about knowledge, power, expertise, authority, representation, inclusivity, and ethics and to make recommendations for more transformative, inclusive, and meaningful community engagement. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Critical Public Health journal.

Set in the 'human-environment' interaction space, this book applies new theoretical and practical insights to understanding what makes healthy urban environments. It stems from recognition that the world is rapidly urbanising and the international concern with how to create healthy settings and liveable cities in the context of a rapidly changing planet. A key argument is that usual attempts to make healthy cities are limited by human-centrism and bifurcated, western thinking about cities, health and nature. Drawing on the innovative 'more-than-human' scholarship from a range of disciplines, it presents a synthesis of the main contributions, and how they can be used to rethink what healthy urban environments are, and who they are for. In particular, the book turns its attention to urban biodiversity and the many non-human species that live in, make and share cities with humans. The book will be of interest to scholars and students in human geography, health sociology, environmental humanities, public health, health promotion, planning and urban design, as well as policymakers and professionals working in these fields.

Although there are many reference guides to diseases, symptoms, and treatment for health problems of women, there is no comprehensive source for the social, political, economic and ethical issues that affect women's health decisions. "The Encyclopedia of Women's Health IssueS" provides valuable information on over 200 topics, including the issues and history surrounding diseases and medical procedures faced by women; health concerns of different ethnic groups of women; information on organizations and programs that deal with women's health; profiles on the people who have pioneered women's health services and information; and legal decisions related to women's health. An extensive bibliography and guides to good Web sites and organizations give users additional helpful resources. Among the features and benefits of this reference are

Charts and tables that present helpful facts and statistics

Contacts for Web sites and organizations that provide access to information about women's health issues--much of it free

Coverage of the issues, not just the diseases, critical to women's healthcare

Provides both basic information and guidance for further reading and research

The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD) has reoriented research into social forms, structuration and processes of meaning construction and reality formation; doing so by linking social constructivist and pragmatist approaches with post-structuralist thinking in order to study discourses and create epistemological space for analysing processes of world-making in culturally diverse environments. SKAD is anchored in interpretive traditions of inquiry and allows for broadening - and possibly overcoming - of the epistemological biases and restrictions still common in theories and approaches of Western- and Northern-centric social sciences. An innovative volume, this book is exactly attentive to these empirically based, globally diverse further developments of approach, with a clear focus on the methodology and its implementation. Thus, The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse presents itself as a research program and locates the approach within the context of interpretive social sciences, followed by eleven chapters on different cases from around the world that highlight certain theoretical questions and methodological challenges. Presenting outstanding applications of the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse across a wide variety of substantive projects and regional contexts, this text will appeal to postgraduate students and researchers interested in fields such as Discourse Studies, Sociology, Cultural Studies and Qualitative Methodology and Methods.

The opportunities and comfortable lifestyle available to most Australians have been denied to generations of Indigenous people. As a result some of Australia's original inhabitants suffer from what has been described as 'Fourth World' standards of health. This is out of place in a country that prides itself on egalitarianism and a fair go for all.Shifting the focus from individual behaviour, to the social and political circumstances that influence people's lives and ultimately their health, helps us to understand the origins of poor health. It can also guide action to bring about change. Social Determinants of Indigenous Health offers a systematic overview of the relationship between the social and political environment and health.Highly respected contributors from around Australia examine the long-term health impacts of the Indigenous experience of dispossession, colonial rule and racism. They also explore the role of factors such as poverty, class, community and social capital, education, employment and housing. They scrutinise the social dynamics of making policy for Indigenous Australians, and the interrelation between human rights and health. Finally, they outline a framework for effective health interventions, which take social factors into consideration.This is a groundbreaking work, developed in consultation with Indigenous health professionals and researchers. It is essential reading for anyone working in Indigenous health.

Young, Disabled and LGBT+ brings together the work of an international team interested in exploring the intersection of sexuality, gender identity, and disability in the lives of young people and aims to further develop this area as a distinct area of study. This volume features original research and writing into lives that are often misunderstood, marginalised and under-represented in research. It is framed with artwork, poetry and writing from young disabled LGBT+ people, and centralises the voices and lives of young disabled LGBT+ people throughout. Drawing from disciplines including: sociology, psychology, disability and youth studies, and with contributions from practitioners, it examines experiences and research from a number of perspectives, such as education, personal lives and activism. Featuring work from the UK, Canada, United States, India and Australia, it is a timely and topical book which will appeal to scholars particularly interested in sexuality, gender, disability and youth studies; professionals within health, education, social work and youth work who aim to understand and support young disabled LGBT+ people; and young people themselves.

Originally published in 1989, Death, Ritual and Bereavement examines the social history of death and dying from 1500 to the 1930s. This edited collection focuses on the death-bed, funerals, burials, mourning customs, and the expression of grief. The essays throw fresh light on developments which lie at the roots of present-day tendencies to minimize or conceal the most unpleasant aspects of death, among them the growing participation of doctors in the management of death-beds in the eighteenth century and the creation of extra-mural cemeteries, followed by the introduction of cremation in the nineteenth century. The volume also underlines the importance of religious belief, in helping the bereaved in past times. The book will appeal to students and academics of family and social history as well as history of medicine, religion and anthropology.

Age, Gender and Sexuality through the Life Course argues that the gendered structure of temporality (defined in the dual sense of everyday time as well as age and stage of life) is a key factor underpinning the stalling of the gender revolution. Taking as its central focus the idealised young woman who serves as the mascot of contemporary success, this book demonstrates how the celebration of the Girl is (i) representative of social mobility, educational and professional achievement; (ii) possesses diligence, docility and emotional intelligence, and (iii) displays a reassuring sexuality and youthfulness - but is constructed from the outset to have a fleetingly short life span. Pickard undertakes a theoretical and empirical exploration of the contemporary female experience of education, work, motherhood, sexuality, the challenge of having-it-all. Furthermore, through additional analysis of the transitional 'reproductive regime' from youth into mid-life and beyond, this insightful monograph aims to demonstrate how age and time set very clear limits to what is possible and desirable for the female self; yet how the latter factors also, if used reflexively, can provide the key means of resisting and challenging patriarchy. This book is aimed at a broad interdisciplinary audience located in gender studies, age studies, culture studies, sociology and psychology; accessible for advanced undergraduates and beyond.

In the early twentieth century, asbestos had a reputation as a lifesaver. In 1960, however, it became known that even relatively brief exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a virulent and lethal cancer.
Yet the bulk of the world's asbestos was mined after 1960. Asbestos usage in many countries continued unabated.
This is the first global history of how the asbestos industry and its allies in government, insurance, and medicine defended the product throughout the twentieth century. It explains how mining and manufacture could continue despite overwhelming medical evidence as to the risks. The argument advanced in this book is that asbestos has proved so enduring because the industry was able to mount a successful defense strategy for the mineral--a strategy that still operates in some parts of the world. This defence involved the shaping of the public debate by censoring, and sometimes corrupting, scientific research, nurturing scientific uncertainty, and using allies in government, insurance, and medicine.
The book also discusses the problems of asbestos in the environment, compensating victims, and the continued use of asbestos in the developing world. Its global focus shows how asbestos can be seen as a model for many occupational diseases--indeed for a whole range of hazards produced by industrial societies. The book is based on a wealth of documentary material gained from legal discovery, supplemented by evidence from the authors' visits and researches in the US, the UK, Canada, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Australia, Swaziland, and South Africa.