Midterm 1 Flashcards
Sociological Perspective
A view of the world that focuses on explaining social patterns rather than individual behaviors.
The sociological perspective aims to address (and frame issues as) social issues rather than personal troubles.
Critical Approach to Sociology
The study of Sociology that focuses on the sources, nature, and consequences of power relationships.
Characteristics of Critical Sociologist
- Challenge assumptions about the current state of society and/or the study of sociology.
- Focus on the sources, nature, and consequences of power relationships.
- Emphasize the role of social insititutions and power beliefs in reinforcing existing power distributions.
Sociology in Medicine vs. Sociology of Medicine
- Sociology in Medicine: Research is limited to questions about social life considered useful/interesting to the medical profession.
- Sociology of Medicine: Reseach is designed to answer questions about social life considered useful/interesting to sociologists in general.
The Sociology of Medicine approach is more likely to challenge the interests of the medical profession and power relationships within healthcare.
Sociology
The scientific study of social life, social change, and social causes/consequences of human behavior.
Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and socieities (and how people interact within these social structures).
Sociological Imagination
The ability to draw connections between personal experiences of individuals and larger social forces.
The sociological imagination challenges the belief that individuals create their own fates.
Epidemic
- Any significant increase in the number of people affected by a particular disease.
- The first appearance of a particular disease.
What were the most common causes of death in the United States prior to 1900?
- Infectious/Parasitic Diseases
- Acute Diseases
- Famine
Examples: Infectious Diseases
- Bubonic Plague
- Smallpox
- Cholera
- Typhoid
- Influenza
- Pneumonia
- Typhus
- Measles
- Tuberculosis
Examples: Acute Diseases
- Bubonic Plague
- Smallpox
- Cholera
- Typhoid
- Influenza
- Pneumonia
- Typhus
- Measles
Tuberculosis is not an acute disease (i.e. it is a chronic disease).
Examples: Chronic Diseases
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Muscular Dystrophy
Tuberculosis is not an acute disease (i.e. it is a chronic disease).
What factors caused the low life expectancies and frequent epidemics of Middle-Aged European countries?
- Urbanization: Increases in commerce and trade allowed for rapid transmission of infectious disease.
- Waste Mismanagement: Lack of sewage systems enabled water-borne diseases from human waste to fluorish.
- Migration/Trade: Religious pilgrimmages/crusades and long-distance trade increased human-to-human disease transmission.
- Malnutrition: Widespread defiencies in nutrition resulted in immunodeficiencies and low life expectancies.
- War: Frequent instances of violence led to high death rates and rampant wound infections.
What factors hindered significant increases in life expectancy in Europe during the 15th/16th centuries?
- Malnutrition
- War
What factors enabled life expectancies to increase by the early 18th century?
- Warfare Changes: Movement of wars/battles away from urban/population-dense regions protected citizens from violence and war-associated diseases.
- Development of New Crops: Discovery of new/resilient crops and crop strains improved people’s diets and better enabled them to resist disease.
- Lower Fertility Rate: Chances of survival for mothers and children increased as women gave birth to fewer children at older ages.
- Lower Infant/Women Mortaility Rate: Women engaging in less frequent/prolonged bouts of physical labor improved their chances of childbirth survival and increased the nutrional quality of breastfed milk.
Pandemic
Worldwide Epidemics
Endemic
A disease being estabished within a population at a stable level.
Chronic Disease
A disease that typically lasts for several years or more.
Acute Disease
A disease that strikes suddently and disappears quickly (and may kill their victim).
E.g. Influenza, COVID-19, Pneumonia
Life Expectancy
The average number of years an individual can expect to live (at the time of their birth).
ETM: Stage 1
Pestilence and Famine
“Natural” checks on the human population (i.e. infectious dieases, parasitic diseases, human accidents, famine) led to stagnant population growth rates.
- Birth Rate = High
- Death Rate = High
ETM: Stage 2
Receding Pandemics
Improvements in sanitation, nutrition, womens’ health, and healthcare infrastructure allowed for rapid population growth.
- Birth Rate = High
- Death Rate = Rapidly Declining
Epidemiological Transition Model
ETM
- Stage 1: Pestilence and Famine
- Stage 2: Receding Pandemics
- Stage 3: Degenerative/Man-Made Diseases
- Stage 4: Delayed Degenerative Diseases
- Stage 5: Resurgence of Infectious Diseases