This selection of key articles chronicles research in the fields of medical knowledge, medical work and health care over the past 25 years. The articles are drawn from the leading international journal, The Sociology of Health and Illness and were originally published between 1980 and 2000. Presented together in one volume, they provide an overview of the major changes in the delivery of health care over this period, and in the way that social scientists and health care providers have conceptualised medical knowledge and practice.

In introducing each section of the book, the editors situate the articles within the development of research in the field and flag up links to other relevant literature. These features help to make this Reader an excellent resource for students of sociology, social policy, social work, health policy or health care.

The book is a collection of articles already published in the journal Sociology of Health & Illness, organised into 4 sections:.

1. Medical Knowledge, Diagnosis and Treatment.

2. Medical Power and the Patient.

3. The Division of Labour in Health Care Work.

4. Patient-Provider Interaction.

These sections are prefaced by a substantial introductory chapter written by the editors entitled: 'Medical Work, Medical Knowledge and Health Care: Themes and Issues.'.

Each section is preceded by an introductory discussion.

Ellen Annandale, Mary Ann Elston and Lindsay Prior are all experts in the sociology of medical work, medical knowledge and health care. Until recently, they were senior members of the editorial team of the journal, The Sociology of Health and Illness. Dr Annandale is the author of The Sociology of Health and Medicine' (1989), Dr Elston is the editor of The Sociology of Medical Science and Technology' (Blackwell Publishing, 1997) and Dr Prior is the author of The Social Organisation of Mental Illness' (1993).