“[A] wonderful extensive collection that provides an understanding of how contemporary medicine and medical practice are profoundly influenced by social, cultural, political, and economic forces. What distinguishes this volume is its genuine orientation to values and qualitative analysis. The sociality of medical practice is not only illuminated from many different perspectives but above all is critically analysed in a social, human, and moral way that shows the possibilities for change in medical education and in medical practice not only in the American context. . . . [A] valuable anthology. . . .” — Miroslav Mastilica, Social Science & Medicine
“Looking at medicine from a variety of perspectives, this anthology features fiction, medical reports, scholarly essays, poetry, case studies, and personal narratives by patients and doctors, all of which contribute to an understanding of how medicine and medical practice is profoundly influenced by social, cultural, political, and economic forces.” — Joseph Haberer, Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society
"[R]efreshing. . . .[I]mpressive. . . . The publication of The Social Medicine Reader is welcome. It is an outstanding anthology for those in academic medicine who are involved in the teaching of such courses and for all those in the profession and in the public who feel that medicine may be losing some of its holistic and humane attributes." — Walter Roufail, North Carolina Medical Board Forum
"[The authors] have integrated a rich assortment of materials. . . . [T]his reviewer strongly recommends The Social Medicine Reader to the attention of medical educators." — Samuel W. Bloom, JAMA
"[W]e found [this collection] to be a helpful tool for teachers of medical humanities and an excellent source book for anyone interested in the subject. . . . Overall, the book is quite useful and well organized, and we should all be glad that it is available." — David J. Hufford David Barnard Michael Green and Anne Hunsaker Hawkins, Medical Humanities Review
"This excellent book is a compilation of 70 essays and poems, many of them classics, that analyze the complexity of health and illness experiences. . . . The editors have gathered a splendid collection of work that is thoughtful, well-written, and timely. . . . [A] must-buy." — D.B. Hamilton, Choice
"This is a compilation of enthralling, gentle, and humanistic stories that illuminate sensitive and complex sociocultural issues that pervade the delivery of health care. . . . This book, although written for medical students, will be of interest to all health care professionals. . . . [A] fresh approach in the enduring quest to balance biological knowledge with social knowledge in the practice of medicine and healthcare delivery." — Michael Issel, Doody's Review Service
"This very important Reader would provide a sound framework for any professional, clinical or non-clinical, interested in health care work. By combining discussions of pathology with narrative accounts, short stories, and poetry, the editors make the issues of health care real and poignant." — Stephen French Gilson, Disability Studies Quarterly
“A wonderful collection that in its impressive breadth and depth gives a full account of a nation’s contemporary medicine as it has been shaped by the events of the late 20th century.” — Robert Coles