Questions and Answers
What was the title of the report written by Rudolf Virchow in 1847?
According to Rudolf Virchow, what is the relationship between medicine and politics?
What is the main reason why health is shaped by big social processes, according to the lecture?
What did Cornwall's study in East London in the 1980s reveal about the meanings of health and illness?
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What does 'meaning' refer to in the context of health and illness?
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What did Virchow's study of the typhus outbreak in Upper Silesia reveal about the disease?
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What is the main argument made by Dr. Andy Guise in the lecture?
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What is the implication of recognizing medicine as a social science?
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What is one reason why health-seeking behavior may be delayed?
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Why is it important to understand how people perceive health and healthcare?
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What is a key characteristic of the ethnographic study of the asylum?
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What is the purpose of 'questioning the taken for granted'?
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What is one of the harmful effects of large psychiatric hospitals?
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Why might medical students in 100 years be shocked by our current standard medical practices?
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What is a potential outcome of denying or delaying health-seeking behavior?
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What is a key reason why health is shaped by big social processes?
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What is the primary reason why medicine is considered a social science?
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Which of the following is NOT a reason why medicine is a social science?
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What is an implication of adopting a social science perspective in medicine?
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What is the bio-psycho-social perspective on health?
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What is an example of how social factors can influence health, according to the bio-psycho-social perspective?
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What is a characteristic of the role of social factors in health, according to the clarifications?
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What is a limitation of understanding the role of social factors in health?
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What is a feature of the complex causality of health?
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What is NOT a reason why medicine needs to consider social factors?
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What is a consequence of neglecting social factors in medicine?
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What is a common characteristic of causality in health science?
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Why are the processes of causality in health science often contested?
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What is the main concern of Emile Durkheim's studies on labour, law, education, and religion?
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What is the term used to describe the sense of connection to society, which is a key factor in shaping suicide rates?
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What is the relationship between industrialization and urbanization in Durkheim's work?
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What is the main focus of Emile Durkheim's book 'Suicide'?
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What is the significance of the 'revolutions' mentioned in the content?
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What is the main implication of considering medicine as a social science?
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Study Notes
Medicine as a Social Science
- Medicine is a social science because health is shaped by big social processes, and a good practice of medicine needs to be aware of this.
- Health is shaped by social factors and processes, and understanding these social factors is essential for effective medical practice.
- Rudolf Virchow, the founder of modern pathology, believed that "medicine is a social science, and politics nothing but medicine at a larger scale."
Patients and the Meanings of Illness
- Patients can attach multiple meanings to health and illness, and these meanings can be different from those of doctors.
- In the 1980s, illness in East London was seen as a moral discredit, leading to denial or delayed health-seeking behavior.
- Certain practices, like smoking, can have particular meanings of relaxation and a break within hard lives.
Providers and their Approaches to Care
- A study of an asylum psychiatric hospital showed that the hospital was not the best or only way of treating patients, and it didn't assume that psychiatry would cure patients.
- The study questioned the "taken for granted" and apparently natural processes of care, and looked at them critically.
- The harms of the asylum included institutionalization among patients, leading to a loss of social identity.
Why Medicine is a Social Science
- Health is shaped by big social processes, and a good practice of medicine needs to be aware of this.
- Health and use of health services are shaped by how people behave and think, which is also shaped by big social processes.
- How health services operate are shaped by how health care professionals and policy makers understandings, which is also shaped by their social setting.
Bio-Psycho-Social Perspectives on Health
- Health is biological, psychological, and social.
- Bio-psychological factors can affect health, and social factors can shape behavior and exposure to disease-causing agents.
- Cycle lanes, for example, can encourage people to cycle more, reducing the risk of heart disease.
Complex Causality of Health
- Causality is often multi-layered, long-running, and with complex feedback loops.
- Understanding the role of social factors in health is about complexity, and of increased risk and probability.
Contested Causality of Health
- The processes of causality can be contested due to uncertainty and differing ideologies and perspectives on how society operates.
The History of Social Science
- Social science has a long history, with key figures like Comte, Durkheim, Weber, De Tocqueville, Marx, and Engels.
- Emile Durkheim studied the impact of industrialization and urbanization on society, including the rise of suicide rates.
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Description
This lecture explores the importance of social science in medicine, highlighting how health is tied to social factors and processes. It discusses the complex and contested role of social science in medicine and its significance in the field.