The Social Transformation of American Medicine (Revised Edition): The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry - Softcover

"The definitive social history of the medical profession in America....A monumental achievement."--New York Times Book Review "Superb sociology, superior history--and essential reading for anyone interested in the fate of American medicine."--Newsweek "The most ambitious and important analysis of American medicine to appear in over a decade.... If you read only one book about American medicine, this is the one you should read."--Ronald Numbers, author of The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize in American History, The Social Transformation of American Medicine is a landmark history of the American health care system, examining how the roles of doctors, hospitals, health plans, and government programs has evolved over the last two centuries. Beginning in 1730 and coming up to the present day, renowned sociologist Paul Starr traces the transformation of our national health care system into a private corporate medical institution that dominates the field and threatens the sovereignty of the medical profession. In this new and revised edition, Paul Starr will bring his research up-to-date in a substantial 5,000 word epilogue.