Synopses & Reviews
Review
“This book is a good place to begin a closer dialogue between cultural geographers, sociologists, and anthropologists.”
—Contemporary Sociology
Review
“This book is a gem. It offers a systematic discussion, with well-developed examples, of the myriad interconnections of spatial and cultural concepts in health care behavior and delivery and why they are important. . . . Gesler writes in a refreshingly direct and uncomplicated fashion.”
—The Professional Geographer
Review
“This reasonably priced book would be most useful as a supplementary textbook in an undergraduate course. . . . One of the most valuable and impressive features of the book is the range of topics and case study areas chosen to illustrate key concepts.”
—Annals of the Association of American Geographers
Review
“A dozen short, well-written chapters facilitate comprehension by readers. In the best sense, the text is user friendly. . . . The Cultural Geography of Health Care is an offering of long-term value. It should be ordered by all libraries and by faculty and students in the social sciences, humanities, public health, and especially geography.”
—Geographical Review
Review
“A useful introduction to a social analysis of health-care delivery for upper-level undergraduates, medical students, and graduate students seeking a good introduction to social science and medicine.”
—Contemporary Sociology
Synopsis
In health care delivery and health care research, basic concepts of cultural behavior are ignored--at a high personal and financial cost--because both fields are dominated by technical solutions and quantitative analysis. They have little use for what is often regarded as irrelevant information.
In this wide-ranging book, written for students and non-specialists, Gesler applies cultural geography to health care and shows that throughout the world, in western and developing countries alike, the social sciences can inform the medical sciences nd make them more effective and less expensive.
Synopsis
A clear, stimulating introduction to the relationship between the “hard” and “soft” sciences of medicine and cultural geography, as seen in many countries around the world. Gesler argues that medical systems must be seen in a social context in order to cut costs and provide effective treatment.
About the Author
Wilbert M. Gesler was professor of geography at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.