Social Science and Medical Education in Britain: A Sociologic Analysis of Their Relationship

Abstract

The introduction of social science teaching into the medical school curriculum in Great Britain has been slow despite the strong recommendation of the Royal Commission on Medical Education in 1968. Factors which are responsible for the sluggishness reflect the influence of the practitioners in the health care system, the power structure in the medical schools, the medical student body, and the social scientists. Ambivalence among all these factions toward social science teaching has inhibited innovatory programs. The analysis suggests that the social sciences will not make an effective contribution to medical education while all these actors remain ambivalent. Moreover, the ambivalence reflects the lack of a clear picture of the future role of the physician. The issue is whether he is to be a super technologist or an applied behavioral scientist. Although the analysis of past trends and future prospects is based on British data, it is regarded as holding true for other highly industrialized societies.