The onset of the quadruple burden of disease in South Africa, the challenges faced by the medical establishment to curtail the rapid growth of multiple epidemics, the inadequate response by the state to various inequities in the health system, and the public debates associated with it, have all combined to draw attention to the sociological aspects of health and disease. Sociology as a resource of knowledge and a unique analytical and conceptual perspective can be used to understand, explain and positively influence the course of health and disease in South African society and our responses to it. As a health practitioner or scholar you must be equipped with the skills to critically evaluate research and debates in your profession, be able to adapt to changes and contribute to the development of knowledge and best practice. This reader will familiarise you with relevant content and assist you to develop the analytical capacity and conceptual skills you will need. Society, Health and Disease in South Africa is authored by experienced educators and researchers in the fi elds of sociology, social work, anthropology, healthcare policy and practice.

You prepared as best as you could for the procedure. You followed your doctor's advice to the letter, and to your relief, the treatment went well. But you didn?t expect the pain and difficulty you are now experiencing as you try to chew and swallow. The simple act of eating is no longer simple; it has become pure torture. Each year, medical treatments leave millions of patients unable to eat normally. Most hospitals deal with this problem simply by pur?eing whatever food they are cooking. Needless to say, the result is not very appetizing, so many people refuse to eat, making it impossible to obtain adequate nutrition, maintain a healthy weight, and help the body heal. To help ease them through this difficult--and many times, unexpected--period, nutritionists Sandra Woodruff and Leah Gilbert-Henderson have written the Soft Foods for Easier Eating Cookbook. Here is an easy- to-follow guide designed to provide maximum nutrition and taste with minimum discomfort.

Cuando una familia encuentra un inesperado nuevo hogar para un sofa viejo, una llama se convierte en la criatura mas feliz del mundo. A la familia Lago le encanta su sofa. Es perfecto para leer, acurrucarse y jugar. Pero como todo lo bueno se acaba, un dia deciden reemplazarlo por uno nuevo. Sin embargo, durante el viaje de regreso a casa, el sofa nuevo sale volando del auto y cae en un campo . . . donde lo adopta una llama. ?Podra la familia recuperar su sofa y la llama conservar su felicidad? When a family finds a surprising new home for an old couch, a llama becomes the happiest creature of all. The Lago family really loves their couch. It's perfect for reading, snuggling, and playing. But all good things come to an end, and, one day, the family must replace it. As they drive home with their new couch, though, it falls off their car and into a field . . . where a llama adopts it. Can the family get its furniture back--and keep llama happy?

The inability of the medical establishment to effectively curtail the rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, coupled with the questionable response to HIV/AIDS by the state and the public debates around the issue have all combined to draw attention to the sociological aspects of health and disease and to put them in the public arena. There is also an increasing recognition that health practitioners need to have a better understanding of the social aspects of health and disease. Sociology as a resource of knowledge and a unique analytical and conceptual perspective can be used to understand, to explain and to positively influence the course of the epidemic and our response to it.