Below is a selection of recently published books which the Editorial Team at MSo think are of interest to the MedSoc community.
We would welcome formal reviews of any of these publications or alternatively you may add a brief comment here, below the details.
War and Embodied Memory: Becoming Disabled in Sierra Leone - Maria Berghs
Tue, Feb 19 2013 11:15
| Ashgate
How do you become an 'amputee', 'war-wounded', 'victim' or 'disabled' person? This book describes how an amputee and war-wounded community was created after a decade long conflict (1991-2002) in Sierra Leone. Beginning with a general socio-cultural and historical analysis of what is understood by impairment and disability, it also explains how disability was politically created both during the conflict and post-conflict, as violence became part of the everyday. Despite participating in the neoliberal rebuilding of the nation state, ex-combatants and the security of the nation were the government’s main priorities, not amputee and war-wounded people.
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The Ashgate Research Companion to the Globalization of Health - Edited by Ted Schrecker
Mon, Dec 10 2012 10:44
| Ashgate
Global health has emerged as a distinct field of academic research and professional activity. Over the last decade, health has become an important element of many nations' foreign policies, a routine agenda item for the G8 and a rapidly expanding focus of bilateral and multilateral development assistance. Some aspects of health, like the spread of easily transmitted communicable diseases, are self-evidently global in an age of rapid, low-cost air travel. Many more reflect the influence of transnational economic integration ('globalization') and its effects on national economies, societies and health systems. In still other cases, like non-communicable diseases in most low- and middle-income countries, the lack of impact on the interests of more powerful actors outside the borders of the affected areas makes it difficult to generate the concern and action on the part of the global community that may be imperative for ethical reasons.
Authors of Our Own Misfortune? The Problems with Psychogenic Explanations for Physical Illnesses - Angela Kennedy
Sat, Aug 18 2012 12:00
| Village Digital Press
Since the advent of 'medicine' as a discrete practice, beliefs that bodily illness can somehow be caused by psychological, emotional, and behavioural ‘disorder’ have been claimed by many in the discipline. Such beliefs became less creditable as scientific methods of detecting disease developed, with discoveries such as the physiological and anatomical abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis, for example, and the organisms causing syphilis and duodenal ulcers. Nevertheless, psychogenic explanations for illnesses still appear frequently within medical and academic literature, in 'common sense' public discourses, and in medical diagnoses of patients. But how plausible are these explanations?
Health Workforce Governance - Edited by Stephanie D. Short, Fiona McDonald
With increasing recognition of the international market in health professionals and the impact of globalism on regulation, the governance of the health workforce is moving towards greater public engagement and increased transparency. This book discusses the challenges posed by these processes such as improved access to health services and how structures can be reformed so that good practice is upheld and quality of service and patient safety are ensured.
Involving Children and Young People in Health and Social Care Research - Edited by Jennie Fleming, Thilo Boeck
Led by both children’s rights perspectives and methodological arguments, there is an increasing emphasis on children and young people’s participation in health and social care research by researchers, policy makers and funding bodies – with many now considering the active involvement of children and young people a requirement. There is little exploration of how to address and overcome the many challenges arising from their participation, however.
Improving Organizational Interventions For Stress and Well-Being - Edited by Caroline Biron, Maria Karanika-Murray, Cary Cooper
This book brings together a number of experts in the field of organizational interventions for stress and well-being, and discusses the importance of process and context issues to the success or failure of such interventions. The book explores how context and process can be incorporated into program evaluation, providing examples of how this can be done, and offers insights that aim to improve working life.
Population Mental Health - Edited by Neal Cohen, Sandro Galea
Over the last century public health efforts, such as immunization, safer food practices, public health education and promotion, improved sanitation, and water purification have been very successful in eradicating and controlling a host of diseases. The result has been a dramatic improvement in health and life expectancy. However, the impact that mental illnesses have on individuals and society as a
The details and descriptions of the books featured on this page are provided by the publishers and the MSo Editorial team can take no responsibility for their accuracy.
To submit a formal review of any of the publications above, or another book, please go to our Book Review submissions page.
Publishers wishing to have their books featured here should contact the Journal Administrator in the first instance.
