Like its successful predecessors, the Third Edition of Perspectives in Medical Sociology�s central theme is that health and illness cannot be understood simply by looking at biological phenomena and medical knowledge. Rather, it is necessary to bring to bear a variety of political, economic, and cultural forces. Editor Phil Brown takes this focus on large-scale social structural factors�a macro-level approach to medical sociology�and links it with the equally important micro-level approach that explores lay illness experience and the interaction between people and their health providers. The 36 readings represent a broad range of research methods, data sources, and perspectives�from public health, medicine, and epidemiology to political science, history, and anthropology�reflecting the diversity of material employed by medical sociologists.