Some list members might be interested in a paper I wrote on the medical and
social model of childbirth which was published a few days ago in
Sociological Research Online:
http://www.socresonline.org.uk/10/2/teijlingen.html
The Abstract reads as follows:
One key concept in medical sociology/anthropology for the analysis of
approaches to health and illness is the medical model. However, this medical
model is not only applied at the analytical level, i.e. as a sociological
tool, but it also appeals to health service providers at a practical level
as a model of working practice. This paper challenges the uncritical use of
the medical model by practitioners and social scientists alike.
The purpose of this paper is to separate and analyse the three different
levels of understanding expressed in any model of childbirth, whether
medical or social: (1) the practical; (2) the ideological and (3) the
analytical level. Social scientists are advised to reflect on the question:
'At what level am I using the medical model as a theoretical concept in my
work?' This is necessary not only to avoid further confusion, but also to
ensure that our sociological tools maintain their ability to analyse the
social world appropriately, without becoming 'blunt' due to the uncritical
use.
Dr. Edwin R. van Teijlingen
Reader in Public Health
Public Health & Dugald Baird Centre
University of Aberdeen
Medical School
Aberdeen AB25 2ZD
Scotland, UK
tel.: +44-(0)1224-552495
fax.: +44-(0)1124-550925
email: [log in to unmask]
University of Aberdeen Open Day - Tuesday 23rd August 2005
For more information visit our website www.abdn.ac.uk/openday
<http://www.abdn.ac.uk/openday> or freephone 0800 027 1495
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