What makes a disease real? Why is it that patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia are doubted when they say they are in pain, and cannot access t

The politics and science of health and disease remain contested terrain among scientists, health practitioners, policy makers, industry, communities, and the pu

While many doctors claim that Lyme disease—a tick-borne bacterial infection—is easily diagnosed and treated, other doctors and the patients they care for ar

Offers an introduction to the sociology of diagnosis. This title presents articles that explore diagnosis as a process of definition that includes: labeling dyn

The role of public health services in America is generally considered to be the reduction of illness, suffering, and death. But what exactly does this mean in p