Part II. Sociology of medicine as a part of scientific knowledge system

Sociology of medicine marched a long albeit somewhat uneven path in its scientific formation. Some researchers consider that structuralization of sociology of medicine as a scientific discipline had been most fully realized in the USA, when after the Second World War, the scientists were challenged with ‘social offer’ to develop the nationwide tools in order to control individual health and provide a practical guide for the organization of the healthcare system in industry and in the Army, (Clausen, 1987; Elinson, 1985).

Evidently, sociology of medicine did not appear ‘from nothing’ in the 1950s, and it was not an exclusive American phenomenon. In contrast, the interest to the social facets of health and healthcare was demonstrated in previous ages by the researches of different sciences and various countries. One should agree with the view of Michel Foucault (1980, p. 151) that the roots of sociology and especially those of sociology of medicine originate from the sociomedical studies carried out in the middle of 21st century and specifically, from investigations of the health of industrial workers in the large cities.

While examining the problems of sociology of medicine, social hygiene, public health, and sociology of medicine, the researchers in France, Germany, and Great Britain were always aware of the deep and dynamic interrelations between the social conditions and the health.

The growth of sociology of medicine can be subdivided into several stages considered below.