The Relationship of Medical Sociology to Sociological Theory: Its Historical Root, Contributions and Contemporary Development

The nexus of this study was to examine the Relationship of Medical Sociology to Sociological Theory, its historical root, contributions and Contemporary Development. Medical sociology is a relatively new sub-discipline of the general field of sociology; today medical sociologists comprise one of the largest groups of sociologists in the world. Medical sociology began with a different orientation when compared to sociology’s “core” fields. Unlike religion, law, politics, modes of economic production, and basic social processes, medicine was ignored by sociology’s early theorists because it was not an institution shaping society. Medical sociology did not come of age until the late 1940s and early 1950s in an intellectual climate far different from sociology’s traditional specialties with direct roots in nineteenth century social thought. Consequently, medical sociology evolved in circumstances dissimilar to those of most other sociological sub-disciplines. The notion that medical sociology is theoretical is wrong. Thus, this paper has provided a brief account of the history and variety of viewpoints in sociological theory that have been utilized within the field of medical sociology and has provided influential statements on the relationship between society and health. Beginning with Parsons and structural functionalism, medical sociology in reality has a rich theoretical tradition spanning almost 60 years and incorporating the work of both classical and contemporary theorists.