Social medicine is defined as the study of how social factors influence health and disease. It aims to identify social determinants of health and devise social policies and actions to alleviate illness. Key aspects of social medicine include social anatomy, social physiology, social pathology, social pediatrics, social obstetrics, and social therapy. Social factors like poverty, living standards, education, customs and beliefs can influence diseases like tuberculosis. Related social and behavioral sciences that inform social medicine include medical sociology, social anthropology, economics, political science and social psychology.

1. Social Medicine

2. CONTENTS:
• Definition
• Concept of social medicine
• Aspects of social medicine
• Social Factors influencing health of people
• Social and Behavioral sciences
• Social Anthropology
• Medical sociology

3. Social Medicine
• “It is the study of the manner in which a disease
may result from, cause, or accentuate problems
and how public health efforts may contribute to
their solution”.
• It is concerned with the health of groups of
individuals as well as individuals with in groups.
Identify social determinants of health and
disease
Devise mechanisms for alleviating suffering and
ill health through social policies and actions

5. Concept of Social Medicine:
• The concept of social medicine is based upon the following
factors include:
• Suffering of a man is not due to the pathogens alone . It can
be partly considered to be due to social causes.
• The consequences of disease are not only physical but also
social.
• Comprehensive therapeutics has to include social remedies in
addition to medical care (social medicine).
• Social services are often needed along with medical care
services.

6. ILLUSTRATION OF THE CONCEPT
• –Tuberculosis
• Factors apart from the bacilli
(A) Poverty
(B) Low standard of living
(C) Substandard housing
(D) Lack of proper health education
(E) Over crowding
(F) Large family size
(G) Social customs

7. Aspects of social medicine:
• Social anatomy
• Social physiology
• Social pathology
• Social pediatrics
• Social obstetrics
• Social therapy

8. • SOCIAL ANATOMY:
• Study of social structure of community.
• :SOCIAL PHYSIOLOGY
• Study of social groups , social relations and social controls.
• SOCIAL PATHOLOGY:
• Study of social factors causing disease and consequences if
disease.

9. • SOCIAL OBSTETRICS:
• Study of the interplay of social and environmental factors and
human reproduction going back to the preconception or even
premarital period.
• Factors includes:
• Age at marriage
• Child bearing
• Family size and fertility patterns
• Level of education
• Economic status
• Customs and beliefs
• Role of women in society

10. • SOCIAL PEDIATRICS:
• The applications of principle of social medicine to pediatrics to
obtain a more complete understanding of the problem of
children in order to prevent and treat disease and promote
their adequate growth and development through an organized
health structure.
• SOCIAL THERAPY:
• Does not imply administration of drugs but social and political
actions for the betterment of the conditions of the life and the
entire lot of the man.

11. SOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
HEALTH OF PEOPLE:

12. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES:
• SOCIAL SCIENCES:
• Social sciences are those disciplines which are committed to
scientific examination of human behavior.
• These includes:
• Economics
• Political science sociology
• Social psychology
• Social anthropology
Sociology, social psychology and social anthropology are called
behavioral sciences

13. • ECONOMICS:
• Deals with the human relationship in the specific context of
production, distribution , consumption and ownership of
shortage of resources , goods and services.
• POLITICAL SCIENCES:
• Study of the systems of laws and institutions which constitute
government of whole societies.
• SOCIOLOGY:
• Study of individual as well as groups in the society .
• SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY:
• The study of human behavior of how people behave and why
they behave in just the way they do in human society

14. SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY:
• The study of the development and various types of social life
is called social anthropology.
• The word anthropology is derived from root words
• Anthropos meaning ‘man’ and Logos meaning ‘science’

15. MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY:
• It is the specialization with in the field of sociology.
• Its main interest is in the study of health , health behavior and
medical institutions.
• Illness is viewed not only as a medical problem but also as a
psychological and social problem.
• A social approach to disease treatment is also emphasized the
doctor needs to have a fuller appreciation of biological ,
behavioral and social sciences.
• Doctor-Patient relationship
• Patient care management
• Hospital organization
• Collusion of medical treatment & cultural practices

16. REFERENCE:
• PREVENTIVE AND SOCIAL MEDICINE BY K. PARK
• PREVENTIVE AND SOCIAL MEDICINE BY MAHAJAN AND GUPTA