Medicine and Culture

by Lynn Payer

A classic comparative study of medicine and national culture, Medicine and Culture shows us that while doctors regard themselves as servants of science, they are often prisoners of custom.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140124047
• ISBN13: 9780140124040
• Release Date: November 1989
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

The spirit of medicine comes from culture

In Medicine and Culture, Payer describes what she sees as the spirit of the medical system in France, Germany, England, and the US. I say spirit, because she writes about the feel she got for the medical system in each while doing business and living abroad. She doesn't detail how the medicine is financed and regulated, and statistics are presented sparsely to illustrate points, and not flung at the reader. She is very much writing about the feel of medicine and how it interacts with culture in each country. This makes the subject matter less dated, because culture changes slowly, unlike specific medical procedures or government regulations. I read this a few years ago and I feel that it has given me some important perspective and insight into medicine, which helps me interpret other information that I get about medicine. It was a fast read and worthwhile, even if you came across the book while looking for a more concrete treatment of medicine in different countries.