The editor introduces the book with a general analysis of the field, and divides the volume into two separate parts. The first covers the substantive areas of medical sociology, with essays on the sociology of the body, women's health, work-related stress, the modern health care system, and many other topics. Contributors to the second section apply those subjects to individual countries and societies based in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Through this comparative scope, the book demonstrates how different regions with an established field of medical sociology have their own unique perspectives and practices. For researchers, students, and practitioners in the field of medical sociology, this Companion is the most informed and up-to-date comparative study available, and a key one-stop reference.