A collection of in-depth essays focused on the health issues facing the poorest populations in the United States as it relates to the common good of all Americans.Despite living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, far too many low-income and no-income men, women, and children in this nation are without health insurance or health care. More than half of those financially bereft have a serious health problem, with poor children three to five times more l...

Eating sugary food, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are legal activities. But politicians still use the law to discourage them. They raise their price, prohibit or limit their advertisement, restrict where they can be sold and consumed, and sometimes ban them outright. These politicians thereby violate John Stuart Mill’s famous principle that people should be free to do whatever they like, provided they harm no one but themselves. Why? What can justify these paternalistic policies?...

The MMR controversy has been characterized by two one-sided discourses. In the medical world, the weight of opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of MMR. In the public world, the anti-MMR campaign has a much greater influence, centred on the fears of parents that the triple vaccine may cause autism in their children. Both professionals and parents struggle to cope with the anxieties this creates, but find it difficult to find a balanced account of the issues.In MMR and Autism

Topical and controversial The Tyranny of Health exposes the dangers of the explosion of health awareness for both patients and doctors, using straightforward language to explain the latest health statistics and research findings. Michael Fitzpatrick, a full-time inner-city GP, argues from his day-to-day experience in the surgery that health propaganda is having a very unhealthy effect on the nation. Patients are made unnecessarily anxious as a result of health scares which have gr...

CURRENT Essentials: Orthopedics -- the ultimate at-a-glance bedside guide!“Nutshell” information on the diagnosis and treatment of the 200 most common orthopedic diseases and disordersOne disorder per page, with bulleted lists for easy accessCovers all relevant procedures, from adult reconstructive surgery to foot and ankle surgeryICD9-CM codes for each topic, allowing you to code and classify morbidity data after making...

Autism: disease, disorder or difference?What causes autism – genes or environment?Can biomedical treatments cure autism, and are they safe?An increased public awareness of autism has resulted in a rising trend of diagnoses, creating the impression of an ‘epidemic’. Many parents of children newly diagnosed with autism have been impressed by plausible theories blaming vaccines and other environmental causes. Many have...

Developed in cooperation with the International Baccalaureate®Ensure full coverage of the new Digital Society course with this accessible coursebook written by an experienced international team of IB educators and examiners, enabling students to build skills and understand the importance and impact of digital systems and technologies in the contemporary world.- Explore digit...

Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize | A New York Times Editor's Choice“[A] grounded, bracingly intelligent study” —NaturePrizewinning science journalist Sonia Shah presents a startling examination of the pandemics that have ravaged humanity—and shows us how history can prepare us to confront the most serious acute global health emergency of our time.Over the past fifty years, more than th...

Canada, like other countries, is aging. The media has reported on a "grey tsunami," a demographic change reflecting longer life expectancy and the retirement of the so-called baby boomer generation. The numbers and percentages of older adults within our population continue to increase. In 2010, 15.3 percent of Canada's population was over 65; in 2030, it will be 24.1 percent. Many commentators have risen alarm about this flood of adults potentially bankrupting our health care system. This ...

With chapters written by leading scholars and researchers, the third edition of A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health provides an updated, comprehensive review of the sociology of mental health. The volume presents an overview of the historical, social, and institutional frameworks for understanding mental health and illness. Part I examines the social factors that shape psychiatric diagnosis and the measurement of mental health and illness, the theories that explain the definition and...

The reception of Michel Foucault's work in the social sciences and humanities has been phenomenal. Foucault's concepts and methodology have encouraged new approaches to old problems and opened up new lines of enquiry. This book assesses the contribution of Foucault's work to research and thinking in the area of health and medicine, and shows how key researchers in the sociology of health and illness are currently engaging with his ideas.Foucault, Health and Medicine explore...

Homelessness & Health in Canada explores, for the first time, the social, structural, and environmental factors that shape the health of homeless persons in Canada. Covering a wide range of topics from youth homelessness to end-of-life care, the authors strive to outline policy and practice recommendations to respond to the ongoing public health crisis.This book is divided into three distinct but complimentary sections. In the first section, contributors explore how homele...