The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness

Acknowledgements

List of Tables and Figures

1 A Brief Introduction to the Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness

2 The Development of Scientific Medicine

3 Social Epidemiology

4 Social Stress

5 Health Behavior

6 Experiencing Illness and Disability

7 Physicians and the Profession of Medicine

8 Medical Education and the Socialization of Physicians

9 Nurses, Advance Practice Providers, and Allied Health Workers

10 Complementary and Alternative Medicine

11 The Physician–Patient Relationship

12 Professional and Ethical Obligations of Physicians in the Physician–Patient Relationship

13 The United States Health Care System

14 Health Care Delivery

15 The Social Implications of Advanced Health Care Technology

16 Comparative Health Care Systems

Biography

Denise A. Copelton, PhD, is Professor of Sociology and Department Chair at The State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport. One of the first social scientists to study celiac disease and gluten-free eating, her work has been published in Social Science & Medicine, Sociology of Health & Illness, Advances in Gender Research, and Deviant Behavior, among other outlets. She is co-author (with Amy Guptill and Betsy Lucal) of Food & Society: Principles and Paradoxes, now in its third edition. She regularly teaches courses on introductory sociology, sociology of health and illness, sociology of families, and aging and the life course. Her college-wide leadership was recognized in 2019 with the prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Faculty Service.

Gregory L. Weiss earned his PhD from Purdue University and is now Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Roanoke College. During his career, he has been an honored teacher (winning numerous college, statewide, regional [SSS], and national [ASA’s Section on Teaching and Learning] awards), a dedicated researcher and writer (author of Grass Roots Medicine and co-author of Experiencing Social Research and the ASA publication on Creating an Effective Sociology Assessment Program as well as dozens of scholarly articles), and active in the community in a variety of health-, environmental-, and animal-related organizations.

 “This new edition is a welcome arrival for all of us concerned with the issues of equality and inclusion in the field of medical sociology. It begins by providing us with a conceptual framework outlining the sociological perspective of health, healing and illness as it applies to Covid-19. Students especially appreciate the extensive coverage and inclusive language of race, socioeconomic status, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation that the authors give us throughout their examination. This new edition addresses the current challenges in the field, invoking critical analysis at every turn, while still addressing the core concerns for medical sociology.”

Andrea Helzer, California State University, Long Beach

“Weiss and Copelton have done an outstanding job in their careful sociological framing of health and illness. This text is especially timely in incorporating discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this edition stands out for its in-depth focus on health care providers and medical education, examining the impacts of specialization, fragmentation, and policy changes. Readers will get a well-rounded introduction to the sociology of health and illness!”

Carrie Lee Smith, Millersville University