THE RUDIMENTS OF MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY

Synopsis & Scholarly Abstract

Medical sociology as first proposed by Charles Mclntire in 1894 was defined as the professional endeavour devoted to social epidemiology. It was later defined as the study of cultural factors and social relations in illness. It was also defined as study of social principles in medical organizations and treatment. This includes studies of the medical profession, the relationship between health professionals and the public, as well as the social factors in the aetiology, prevalence, incidence and interpretation of diseases. The main interest in medical sociology is in the study of health, health behaviours and medical institutions. In medical sociology, illness is seen as a medical problem as well as psychological and social problem. It is believed that the problems presented by patients are not always purely medical but also psycho–social. Diseases like tuberculosis, leprosy, sexually transmitted diseases have social components in their aetiology. This is why medical scientists pay great attention to the study of social, behavioural and cultural factors