Page 432 - Introduction To Sociology

424 Chapter 19 | Health and Medicine
Learning Objectives
19.1. The Social Construction of Health
• Define the term medical sociology
• Understand the difference between the cultural meaning of illness, the social construction of illness, and
the social construction of medical knowledge
19.2. Global Health
• Define social epidemiology
• Apply theories of social epidemiology to an understanding of global health issues
• Understand the differences between high-income and low-income nations
19.3. Health in the United States
• Understand how social epidemiology can be applied to health in the United States
• Explain disparities of health based on gender, socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity
• Give an overview of mental health and disability issues in the United States
• Explain the terms stigma and medicalization
19.4. Comparative Health and Medicine
• Explain the different types of health care available in the United States
• Compare the health care system of the United States with that of other countries
19.5. Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Medicine
• Apply functionalist, conflict theorist, and interactionist perspectives to health issues
Introduction to Health and Medicine
According to the World Health Organization and ABC Health News, on March 19, 2014 a "mystery" hemorrhagic fever outbreak occurred in Liberia and Sierra Leone. This outbreak was later confirmed to be Ebola, a disease first discovered in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2014 outbreak started a chain reaction in West Africa, sickening more than 8,000 people and leaving more than 4,000 dead by October.
At the time of this writing, Ebola is national news in the United States, and certainly global news as well. Infection of U.S. medical staff (both in West Africa and at home) has led to much fear and distrust, and discussion of restrictions on flights from West Africa was one proposed way to stop the spread of the disease. Ebola first entered the United States via U.S. missionary medical staff who were infected in West Africa and then transported home for treatment. The case of Thomas Eric Duncan, who unwittingly imported Ebola into the United States as he flew from Liberia to Texas in September 2014 to visit family, increased the level of fear.
How do we best respond to this horrific virus? Restrict visitors from West Africa, enhance training and protective gear for all U.S. medical workers and law enforcement? Many concerns surround this disease and few agree upon the appropriate response. You can follow the progression of the outbreak at http://abc7news.com/news/timeline-of-the-ebola-virus-in- america-/348789/ (http://abc7news.com/news/timeline-of-the-ebola-virus-in-america-/348789/) .
The Ebola case brings many issues to the forefront. Are we in the cross-hairs of a large-scale Ebola epidemic in the United States? Or are the few cases of infection (primarily of health professionals) as far as the disease will spread in the United States? In the short term, how do we best prevent, identify, and treat current and potential cases?
The sociology of health encompasses social epidemiology, disease, mental health, disability, and medicalization. The way that we perceive health and illness is in constant evolution. As we learn to control existing diseases, new diseases develop. As our society evolves to be more global, the way that diseases spread evolves with it.
What does “health” mean to you? Do you believe that there are too many people taking medications in U.S. society? Are you skeptical about people claiming they are “addicted” to gambling or “addicted” to sex? Can you think of anything that was historically considered a disease but is now considered within a range of normality? Or anything that has recently become known as a disease that before was considered evidence of laziness or other character flaws? Do you believe all children should receive vaccinations? These are questions examined in the sociology of health.
Sociologists may also understand these issues more fully by considering them through one of the main theoretical perspectives of the discipline. The functionalist perspective is a macroanalytical perspective that looks at the big picture
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