The Cultural Geography of Health Care

by Wilbert M. Gesler

Overview

In health care delivery and health care research, basic concepts of cultural behavior are ignored—at a high personal and financial cost—because both fields are dominated by technical solutions and quantitative analysis. They have little use for what is often regarded as irrelevant information.
In this wide-ranging book, written for students and non-specialists, Gesler applies cultural geography to health care and shows that throughout the world, in western and developing countries alike, the social sciences can inform the medical sciences nd make them more effective and less expensive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822954903
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication date:	01/15/1992
Edition description:	1
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Wilbert M. Gesler was professor of geography at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Editorial Reviews

A dozen short, well-written chapters facilitate comprehension by readers. In the best sense, the text is user friendly. . . . The Cultural Geography of Health Care is an offering of long-term value. It should be ordered by all libraries and by faculty and students in the social sciences, humanities, public health, and especially geography.”
—Geographical Review

“This book is a gem. It offers a systematic discussion, with well-developed examples, of the myriad interconnections of spatial and cultural concepts in health care behavior and delivery and why they are important. . . . Gesler writes in a refreshingly direct and uncomplicated fashion.”
—The Professional Geographer

“This book is a good place to begin a closer dialogue between cultural geographers, sociologists, and anthropologists.”
—Contemporary Sociology

“This reasonably priced book would be most useful as a supplementary textbook in an undergraduate course. . . . One of the most valuable and impressive features of the book is the range of topics and case study areas chosen to illustrate key concepts.”
—Annals of the Association of American Geographers

“A useful introduction to a social analysis of health-care delivery for upper-level undergraduates, medical students, and graduate students seeking a good introduction to social science and medicine.”
—Contemporary Sociology

From the Publisher

Arguing that medical systems must be seen in a social context, Gesler (geography, U. of North Carolina) applies the concepts of cultural geography to health care and shows that in both developed and developing countries alike the social sciences can inform the medical sciences and make them more effective and less expensive. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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