Biomedicine: Scientific Medicine Prominent in Western Societies

1845 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The biomedical model of health

Health, how it is defined and how it is maintained, is a reflection of the dominant ideology in a certain society. The medical system of Western countries, including Australia, is based on the biomedical model of health or biomedicine. According to Lord Nigel Crisp, who is a global health reform advocate, former Chief Executive of the National Health Service (NHS) in United Kingdom (UK) and previous Permanent Secretary of the UK Department of Health, Western scientific medicine and the health systems based on them have exhibited spectacular success in improving health over the last century and it has come to dominate medical thinking, habits and institutions globally. It also served as the guide for health regulating bodies including the World Health Organization, health care professional associations and pharmaceutical companies. He argued, however, that presently Western scientific medicine is no longer capable of solely managing the health demands of peoples in both the industrialised and developing countries. There is a need to adapt and absorb new ideas to be able to meet the demands of the twenty first century(Marble, 2010). In order to get a better understanding of the current health system in Western societies this paper attempts to take a closer look at the development of scientific medicine as the foundation of modern medical practice. In addition to the overview of biomedicine, a few of the challenges to its discourse will also be presented throughout the discussion. The term biomedicine is used to describe scientific medicine which is prominent in Western societies. To get a better grasp of this concept, Baronov (2008) presented the following interrelated views which account for biomedicine’s ongoing development. Fi... ... middle of paper ... ...medical knowledge Health, illness, and the social body: a critical sociology (4th ed., pp. 195-223). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Lu, C., Sylvestre, J., Melnychuk, N., & Li, J. (2008). East meets west: Chinese-Canadian's perspectives on health and fitness. Canadian Journal of Public Health Revue Canadienne de Sante Publique, 99(1), 22-25. Marble, A. (2010). Reforming the Global Health System: Lessons from Asia: An interview with Nigel Crisp Asia Policy 10, 144-151. Retrieved from NBR The National Bureau of Asian Research website: http://www.nbr.org/ McKenzie, H. (2011). NURS 5002 Social contexts of health, lecture 1, week 2: Frameworks for understanding health, illness & care: Scientific medicine. http://lectopia.usyd.edu.au/lectopia/ Taylor, S., & Field, D. (Eds.). (2007). Sociology of health and health care (4th ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Article: The Shifting Engines Of Medicalization

    194 Words  | 1 Pages

    The concepts discussed within the article regarding medicalization and changes within the field of medicine served to be new knowledge for me as the article addressed multiple different aspects regarding the growth of medicalization from a sociological standpoint. Furthermore, the article “The Shifting Engines of Medicalization” discussed the significant changes regarding medicalization that have evolved and are evidently practiced within the contemporary society today. For instance, changes have occurred within health policies, corporatized medicine, clinical freedom, authority and sovereignty exercised by physicians has reduced as other factors began to grow that gained importance within medical care (Conrad 4). Moreover, the article emphasized

    Read More

  • The Social Determinants of Health

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...an, P., Egerter, S., & Williams, D. R. (2011). The social determinants of health: coming

    Read More

  • Socioeconomic Factors and the Health of Individuals

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    The biomedical model of health has been criticised because it fails to include the psychological and social causes relating to an individual’s medical illness or health, looking only at the biological causes (Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Therefore, sociologists being aware of the impacts of social structure and lifestyle on health have put in various efforts to place the study of ‘the social’ at the core of health and healthcare examination.

    Read More

  • The Biomedical Model And The Health Model Of Public Health

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    As discussed, it is clear that when it comes to public health the lines are often quite blurred. The Biomedical Model and the Lifestyle Theory Model both have their advantages however a common theme throughout both models is that they are both too reductionist in their approach to health. They failed to consider other health models viewpoints, or incorporate external factors such as the social gradient into their reasoning behind the cause and effect of bad health. Therefore instead of trying to categorise health into definite ‘health models’, health needs to be accepted more for what it is - a forever changing and adapting concept.

    Read More

  • Medicalization of Sex Addiction: Society's Obsession with Medical Diagnosis

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e gap in attitudes between pre-medicalized and modern time periods. The trends of technological advancement and human understanding project a completely medicalized future in which medical authorities cement their place above an intently obedient society.

    Read More

  • Healthcare Concerning Mental Illness

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    Weiss, G. L., & Lonnquist, L. E. (2012). The sociology of health, healing, and illness. Boston:

    Read More

  • 19th-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom

    2344 Words  | 5 Pages

    Professor comments: In this paper, the student synthesizes several sources about nineteenth-century medicine and medical education into a focused and coherent essay that provides information about aspects of this topic especially relevant to understanding Lydgate's position in Middlemarch: the differences among physicians, apothecaries, and surgeons, both in terms of training and duties on the one hand, social status on the other; the processes by which someone obtained a medical education and became a licensed practitioner; and the differences in English, Scottish, and French training. In doing so, the student displays an awareness of the importance of the contextual material for more than merely factual purposes, and she employs a principle of selection, concentrating on material that will facilitate her interpretation of Lydgate's role in the novel--especially in the connection between medical and political reform--in a separate essay.

    Read More

  • Culture Clash and Dispossession and Indigenous Australians

    2025 Words  | 5 Pages

    Willis, K. and Elmer, S. (2007) Society, Culture and Health: an introduction to sociology for

    Read More

  • What Is Health Sociology?

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    Understanding the social determinants of health in the context of health sociology, such as socio-economic status, levels of education, race, gender, age, and geographical location of the individuals, therefore, play an important part in shaping health and healthcare system. Acknowledging sociological knowledge would allow healthcare professionals to reflect their actions towards the patient from diverse social background and ultimately promoting lifestyle changes or modifying behaviours for better health outcomes for the patient (Davis & Chapa, 2015; McMurray & Clendon, 2011; McPerson,

    Read More

  • Gender as Portrayed in “The Yellow Wallpaper”

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Historical Collections :: Reflections on Health in Society & Culture." Claude Moore Health Sciences Library | www.hsl.virginia.edu. 13 Feb. 2012 .

    Read More

  • Gender Mortality Essay

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    Depending on the social contexts, there are some illnesses without diseases or the meaning of illnesses is independent from the biomedical entity. Illness is socially and culturally constructed and can reflect cultural biases or set limitations on particular groups. Historically, cultural assumptions of women’s nature have limited women’s ability to access resources and participate in the public sphere. Physicians have acted as agents of social control through defining women’s natural ability as secondary to men, and medicalizing of women’s problems, such as childbirth, menopause and premenstrual syndrome. These biased assumptions have become more complex and less visible, however they continue to limit and control women’s agency in society. Feminists have accused the medicalization of menopause as devaluing women, despite that fact that aging is a natural process. However, different cultures construct different understandings, definitions, experiences and medical practices of illness. Illness, such as anorexia can reflect the changing social expectations and roles of women in different cultures. The creation and treatment of illnesses are unequal. “Stigmatized illness”, including AIDS and epilepsy can create moral meanings that cause the perception of illness and individuals with illness stigmatized. Furthermore, factors such as whom and how many are affected

    Read More

  • Deborah Lupton's Theory Of Medicalization

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 19th century, the field of sociology developed, thus allowing for many sociologists to challenge the way society works, especially, in the health care system. Deborah Lupton is one of these sociologists that has researched the social and cultural aspects of medicine and the public health. She has published “a series of papers emerging from a study on patients’ and medical practitioners’ views on the medical profession and the coverage of the medical profession in the mass media.” (Lupton, 1997:108) In this article, she delves deeply into medicalization to shed the light on the contributions of a Foucauldian perspective to understand power relations within the medical profession. Lupton agrees with the Foucauldian perspective and argues

    Read More

  • Medicine as a Form of Social Control

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    Medicine as a Form of Social Control This critique will examine the view that medicine is a form of social control. There are many theorists that have different opinions on this view. This critique will discuss each one and their different views. We live in a society where there is a complex division of labour and where enormous varieties of specialist healing roles are recognised.

    Read More

  • Bottled Water Essay

    2753 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Department of US health concerns works towards improving the health status of citizens across the political and economic regimes of United States of America. The perspectives that are explored on global health include medicine, where path...

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Health Care Essay

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Gender Inequality in Health Care." Boundless, Boundless Sociology, 26 May 2016, www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/gender-stratification-and-inequality-11/women-in-the-workplace-89/gender-inequality-in-health-care-515-10214/. Accessed 4 July 2017.

    Read More

More about Biomedicine: Scientific Medicine Prominent in Western Societies

Open Document