Medical Talk and Medical Work

Recent years have seen the development of a sociology of medical knowledge, including the construction of medical opinion, the fabric of medical discourse, and the medical construction of the body.

This volume both assesses and contributes to this sociological understanding of medical practice. Underlying the analysis is research on the work of hematologists, offering a rich resource for understanding the complexities and contradictions between physical bodies and social embodiment, medical talk, and technical apparatus. Using this material, the author skillfully demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of the existing understanding of medical knowledge. Among the issues explored are: