Critical Perspectives on Health, 2d ed.(Book review)

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTH (2ND EDN) Stephen Kermode Australia: Pearson SprintPrint, 2004; 91 pp PB, AUD39.95 ISBN 1-74103-358-6

As a goal 'Health for all' is a goal as valid today as it was when set by the World Health Assembly in 1978. Health, as defined by World Health Organization, is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, and is a fundamental human right. However, despite advances in science, medicine and public health in nearly all countries, a gap exists between the health care services available and health care needs of people. This book provides a critical overview of the social and political context of health and health care systems for beginning health care practitioners.

The book is organized into 9 chapters. Chapter 1 consists of an introduction and an overview that provide a critical sociology perspective on health. It addresses the issue of inequality and explains how a range of approaches have been developed to deal with health promotion, primary health care and the New Public Health, and notes the limitations of these approaches. Chapter 2 presents data on the Australian health system to elaborate how social, economic and political factors have fundamental effects on health. Moreover, the author indicates that the steps most likely to create the best health status are reducing the gap between the rich and the poor, and creating employment. Chapter 3 introduces the idea of illness behaviour and the place of the body in society. It emphasizes that both illness behaviour and the body are socially constructed. Chapter 4 summarizes the historical origins of hospitals, and a ...