Contents:
Part I - Health Beliefs and Knowledge 1. Herzlich, C. The individual, the way of life and the genesis of illness 2. Blaxter, M. Why do the victims blame themselves? 3. Davison, C., Davey Smith, G. and Frankel, S. Lay epidemiology and the prevention paradox: the implications of coronary candidacy for health promotion 4. Calnan, M. Lifestyle and its meaning 5. Brown, P. Popular epidemiology, toxic waste and social movements 6. Parsons, E. and Atkinson, P. Lay constructions of genetic risk Part II - Inequalities and Pattering of Health and Illness 7. Berkman, L.S., Glass, T., Brissette, I. and Seeman, E. From social integration to health: Durkheim in the New Millenium 8. Wilkinson, R. The epidemiological transition: from material scarcity to social disadvantage? 9. Vagero, D. and Illsley, R. Explaining health inequalities: beyond Black and Barker 10. Wadsworth, M. Health inequalities in the life course perspective 11. Nazroo, J.Y. Genetic, cultural or socio-economic vulnerability? 12. Macintyre, S., Hunt, K. and Sweeting, H. Gender differences in health: are they as simple as they seem? Part III - Professional and Patient Interactions 13. Freidson, E. The social organisation of illness 14. Annandale, E. Working on the front line: risk culture and nursing in the new NHS 15. Lupton, D. Consumerism, reflexivity and the medical encounter 16. Silverman, D. Going private: ceremonial forms in a medical oncology clinic 17. S. Cant and U. Sharma 18. Charles, c., Gafni, A. and Whelan, T. Decision making in the physician-patient encounter: revisiting the shared treatment decision-making model Part IV - Chronic Illness and Disability 19. Williams, G. The genesis of chronic illness: narrative reconstruction 20. Kelly, M. and Field, D. Medical sociology, chronic illness and the body 21. Bury, M. Defining and researching disability: challenges and responses 22. Oliver, M. Defining impairment and disabilty: the issues at stake 23. Carriciuburu, D. and Pierret J. From biographical disruption to biographical reinforcement: the case of HIV-positive men 24. Frank When bodies need voices Part V - The Sociology of Evaluation and Politics of Health Care 25. Gabe, J. Continuity and change in the British National Health Service 26. Harrison, S. The politics of evidence-based medicine in the United Kingdom 27. Light, D. and Hughes, D. A sociological perspective on rationing: power rhetoric and situated practices 28. Fitzpatrick, R. and Boulton, M. Qualitative methods for assessing health care 29. Howitt, A. and Armstrong, D. Implementing evidence-based medicine in general practice: audit and qualitative study of antithrombotic treatment for atrial fibrilation 30. Featherstone, K. and Donovan, J.L. Random allocation or allocation at random? Patients' perspectives of participation in a randomised controlled trial

Health and illness are intensely personal matters. It seems self evident that health is a basic necessity of the 'good life', though it is often taken for granted. Illness, on the other hand challenges our sense of security and may introduce acute anxiety into our lives. Health and Illness in a Changing Society provides a lively and critical account of the impact of social change on the experience of health and illness. It also examines the different sociological perspectives that have been used to analyse health matters. While some of the ideas developed in the last twenty years remain relevant to social research in health today, many are in need of urgent revision.

In Life After Ninety Micheal Bury and Anthea Holme have surveyed and interviewed 200 individuals, living at home and in institutions, to examine old age stereotypes and present a unique picture of the health, quality of life, and social circumstances of the very old. Longevity and the factors which promote it are also discussed, and throughout the book the concept of the 'life course' is employed, which brings together the biographical experiences of individuals, and the changing historical circumstances of the twentieth century, through which they have lived.

This reader provides a comprehensive collection of both classic writings and more recent articles in the sociology of health and illness. It is organised into the following sections:

* health beliefs and knowledge
* inequalities and patterning of health and illness
* professional and patient interaction
* chronic illness and disability
* evaluation and politics in health care.

Each section has an introduction, summarising the content and argument of each article in turn. The reader also has a general introduction which sets the scene for the field as a whole, contextualises each section and provides a guide to additional reading. The reader includes a number of different perspectives on health and illness, is international in scope, and will provide an invaluable resource to students across a wide range of courses in sociology and the social sciences.

This path-breaking international handbook of disability studies signals the emergence of a vital new area of scholarship, social policy and activism. Drawing on the insights of disability scholars around the world and the creative advice of an international editorial board, the book engages the reader in the critical issues and debates framing disability studies and places them in an historical and cultural context. Five years in the making, this one volume summarizes the ongoing discourse ranging across continents and traditional academic disciplines. To provide insight and perspective, the volume is divided into three sections: The shaping of disability studies as a field; experiencing disability; and, disability in context. Each section, written by world class figures, consists of original chapters designed to map the field and explore the key conceptual, theoretical, methodological, practice and policy issues that constitute the field. Each chapter provides a critical review of an area, positions and literature and an agenda for future research and practice. The handbook answers the need expressed by the disability community for a thought provoking, interdisciplinary, international examination of the vibrant field of disability studies. The book will be of interest to disabled people, scholars, policy makers and activists alike. The book aims to define the existing field, stimulate future debate, encourage respectful discourse between different interest groups and move the field a step forward.

Health and illness are intensely personal matters. It seems self evident that health is a basic necessity of the 'good life', though it is often taken for granted. Illness, on the other hand challenges our sense of security and may introduce acute anxiety into our lives. Health and Illness in a Changing Society provides a lively and critical account of the impact of social change on the experience of health and illness. It also examines the different sociological perspectives that have been used to analyse health matters. While some of the ideas developed in the last twenty years remain relevant to social research in health today, many are in need of urgent revision.

The Sociology of the Health Service responds directly to the need to develop a sociological analysis of current health policy. Topics covered vary from privatisation and health service management to health education and the politics of professional power. Also included is an histroical review of sociology's contributions to health policy and proposals for an agenda for sociological health policy research in the 1990s.

Long life and the factors which promote it are of perennial interest to human beings. Although there is much discussion in our society about aging, there is less willingness to examine the assumptions which govern our attitudes towards old age. The very old represent the fastest growing segment of the population in most Western societies, yet attitudes toward them are mostly limited to negative stereotypes. In "Life After Ninety," Michael Bury and Anthea Holme have surveyed and interviewed 200 individuals living at home and in institutions to create a unique portrayal of the health, quality of life, and social circumstances of the very old. The authors examine the validity of old age stereotypes, and discuss longevity and the factors which promote it.
Throughout the book the concept of the "life course" is employed, as a process which weaves together the biographical experiences of individuals and the changing historical circumstances of the twentieth century through which they have lived. Although poor health and unhappiness are experienced by some individuals, this study shows that a good quality of life is possible in advanced age, and that life after ninety can involve both contentment and dignity.

The Sociology of the Health Service responds directly to the need to develop a sociological analysis of current health policy. Topics covered vary from privatisation and health service management to health education and the politics of professional power. Also included is an histroical review of sociology's contributions to health policy and proposals for an agenda for sociological health policy research in the 1990s.

This path-breaking international handbook of disability studies signals the emergence of a vital new area of scholarship, social policy and activism. Drawing on the insights of disability scholars around the world and the creative advice of an international editorial board, the book engages the reader in the critical issues and debates framing disability studies and places them in an historical and cultural context. Five years in the making, this one volume summarizes the ongoing discourse ranging across continents and traditional academic disciplines. To provide insight and perspective, the volume is divided into three sections: The shaping of disability studies as a field; experiencing disability; and, disability in context. Each section, written by world class figures, consists of original chapters designed to map the field and explore the key conceptual, theoretical, methodological, practice and policy issues that constitute the field. Each chapter provides a critical review of an area, positions and literature and an agenda for future research and practice. The handbook answers the need expressed by the disability community for a thought provoking, interdisciplinary, international examination of the vibrant field of disability studies. The book will be of interest to disabled people, scholars, policy makers and activists alike. The book aims to define the existing field, stimulate future debate, encourage respectful discourse between different interest groups and move the field a step forward.