Howard Waitzkin

Barbara Waterman

This short book presents a critical analysis of existing institutional structures in the American health system, as well as an appraisal of theory in medical sociology. In the introductory section we consider medicine as a social institution and the sociopolitical context of illness. In Section 2, after discussing previous theoretical positions in medical sociology, we outline an alternative theoretical approach. Section 3 attempts to show that the sick role, by providing a controllable form of deviance, mitigates potential conflicts in such institutions as prisons, the armed forces, and the Selective Service System; by helping prevent conflicts, the sick role reduces the probability of basic institutional change. Stratification in medicine is the topic of Section 4; the control of information is studied as a major source of medical stratification. In Section 5 we analyze the problem of empire building in American medicine, with emphasis on the major proposed reforms in the health system-national health insurance and health maintenance organizations. The study concludes with a brief discussion of the relationships between improved health care and broad sociopolitical change.

The Exploitation of Illness in Capitalist Society

Adoptive, foster and stepmothers, like biological mothers, find their lives completely changed by motherhood although they are not always granted the rights and privileges accorded to those who give birth. Barbara Waterman explores the common experiences that are shared by all those who enter the motherhood portal. She highlights the importance of wider family, community and professional support for non-biological parents and primary care-givers of both genders, and their children. A stepmother herself and a practicing psychologist, Waterman's writing is illustrated throughout with vignettes of children and parents from a range of backgrounds. She shows the important ways in which a non-biological attachment is both more similar to and more different from a biological attachment than is currently understood. In doing this, Waterman broadens the notion of the `traditional' family, and offers a positive alternative to the myth of the perfect mother. All kinds of step-, adoptive and foster families and those coming into contact with them will find this thoroughly researched and personal book an indispensable guide.

Barbara Waterman

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