The New Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology

An authoritative, topical, and comprehensive reference to the key concepts and most important traditional and contemporary issues in medical sociology. Contains 35 chapters by recognized experts in the field, both established and rising young scholars Covers standard topics in the field as well as new and engaging issues such as bioterrorism, bioethics, and infectious disease Chapters are thematically arranged to cover the major issues of the sub-discipline Global range of contributors and an international perspective

Table of Contents:
List of Contributors viii Preface xv PART I INTRODUCTION 1 1 Medical Sociology and Sociological Theory 3 William C. Cockerham and Graham Scambler 2 Health and Culture 27 Stella Quah 3 The Sociology of the Body 47 Sarah Nettleton PART II HEALTH AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES 69 4 Health and Social Stratification 71 Eero Lahelma 5 Health Status and Gender 97 Ellen Annandale 6 Health, Ethnicity, and Race 113 Hannah Bradby and James Y. Nazroo PART III HEALTH AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS 131 7 Health and Religion 133 Ellen L. Idler 8 Health Lifestyles: Bringing Structure Back 159 William C. Cockerham 9 Social Capital and Health 184 Lijun Song, Joonmo Son, and Nan Lin 10 Medicalization, Social Control, and the Relief of Suffering 211 Joseph E. Davis 11 Stress 242 William R. Avison and Stephanie S. Thomas 12 Stress in the Workplace 268 Johannes Siegrist PART IV HEALTH AND DISEASE 289 13 Emerging Infectious Diseases, Urbanization, and Globalization in the Time of Global Warming 291 George J. Armelagos and Kristin N. Harper 14 Chronic Illness 312 Kathy Charmaz and Dana Rosenfeld PART V HEALTH CARE DELIVERY 335 15 Health Professions and Occupations 337 Elianne Riska 16 Challenges to the Doctor–Patient Relationship in the Twenty-First Century 355 Jennifer Vanderminden and Sharyn J. Potter 17 Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Processes of Legitimation, Professionalization, and Cooption 373 Hans A. Baer 18 The American Health Care System: Beginning the Twenty-First Century with High Risk, Major Challenges, and Great Opportunities 391 Bernice A. Pescosolido and Carol A. Boyer 19 The British Health Care System 412 Michael Bury 20 The Convergence and Divergence of Modern Health Care Systems 434 Fred Stevens 21 Social Policies and Health Inequalities 455 Amélie Quesnel-Vallée and Tania Jenkins PART VI NEW DEVELOPMENTS 485 22 A Sociological Gaze on Bioethics 487 Kristina Orfali and Raymond G. DeVries 23 Medical Sociology and Genetics 511 Paul A. Martin and Robert Dingwall 24 New Developments in Neuroscience and Medical Sociology 530 Simon J. Williams Author Index 552 Subject Index 584