Social Science in Medicine

In these times, when our social and political inadequacies in dealing with the advances wrought by nuclear fission are so apparent, it is encouraging to find that forward-looking men in medicine and the social sciences are working together to bridge that gap between their respective fields of interest. Although the authors point out that the practice of medicine at large or in the hospital in particular provides a laboratory in which the social scientist may test his theories, their major thesis is that medicine can no longer afford to overlook the information and aid available from the social sciences. The biophysical repercussions of famine and war are obvious, and in recent years the psychological factors contributing to gastrointestinal and skin disorders among others have been recognized. Yet the subtler influences of socio-cultural dynamics on biological health have either been overlooked or ignored. It can scarcely be contested that stress, be it physical or psychological, affects the biological functions of man, either in a transitory manner or, if prolonged enough, with permanent damage. The point is that the particular socio-cultural system is a stress inducing environmental factor. To be sure these factors vary according to the socio-cultural background and psychological characteristics of the individual, but they can be investigated, evaluated, and brought into consideration in the treatment of the patient. If these stress-inducing factors are not controlled or if they are inadvertently increased, the patient's disease is not adequately treated, much less the patient as a person. It is in this realm in particular-that of the links between stress and disease-that the authors open up avenues for investigation. Some of the beginning spadework has been done, but the possibilities are almost limitless. The audience for this volume is not limited to a few because of technical jargon; the text is within the scope of any intelligent and interested person. The extensive bibliography at the end attests to the authors' stated purpose that "the book is addressed primarily to students in medicine and the social sciences interested in training for research in these related areas." It is, furthermore, the reviewer's opinion that students in medicine, by reading this book, may well profit in the practice of their chosen profession simply through the awareness they will gain.