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Bio-Medicine

Good Essays

Theories of Biomedicine

Sociology is the study of human interaction and organisation of society; it is often areas which are problematized in need of provision.
It can be explained that health and illness are simply biological descriptions of the state of our bodies. The structures of the body have been mapped out through genetics. This is ever closer inspection of the body or as Foucault 1977 would suggest through this ‘medical gaze’ which has brought considerable power to the medical profession. The sociology of health and illness is concerned with the social origins of and influence on disease rather than exploring its organic manifestation in individual bodies. The sociology of medicine is concerned with exploring the social, …show more content…

Subject experience of being sick constructed through the doctor patient exchange.
Argument that illness is a social accomplishment among actors rather than physiological malfunction.
Identity is created through interaction with others.
Goffman 1968- claims hospitals are like other institutions, prisons, asylums, mental hospitals. Patients power to control their identity is reduced as much as poss. Stigmatic label in sickness as a weakness or incapability.
Marxist
Concerned with the relationship between health and illness and capital social organisation. Inequality and power, how health and illness are influenced by the nature f economic activity in a capitalist society.
Medicine has become increasingly specialised and hierarchical. Labour wage force – Just because medicine is NHS doesn’t mean its free of capitalism.
Also claims health problems tied to stressful work environments rather than as a result of weakness.
Should be seen as unequal social structure and class disadvantages.
More and more people experience biomedicine as ineffective and state deflects these attacks by declaring health problems of the individual.
Any difficulty coping with this is not the fault of the system but that of the individual.
Feminists
Explores gender differences its main concern medical treatment involves male control over women’s bodies and identities. – (female subordination.)
Male

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