Medicine and Culture: Revised Edition

by Lynn Payer

Overview

A classic comparative study of medicine and national culture, Medicine and Culture shows us that while doctors regard themselves as servants of science, they are often prisoners of custom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805048032
Publisher:	Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/15/1996
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Lynn Payer, a former editor for the New York Times Good Health magazine, writes extensively about medical issues for doctors as well as for the general public. She lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

We have been so conditioned to believe that medical science is objective and unbiased that we rarely question decisions made by our dcotors. Lynn Payer shows that medical decisions may not be as clearcut as we think. Using case examples from France, Germany, England and the U.S., she shows that the same condition may result in different diagnosis, and that even the same diagnosis may be treated in very different ways. These differences are not due to ill-trained doctors or backward practices, but rather to differing cultural approaches to health and illness. Realizing that cultural bias does influence medical judgement makes it easier to question your doctor's decisions without questioning his motives. It also makes you realize that there are viable medical options available which are common practice in other countries and are not considered part of the lunatic fringe.
—FGP

WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women