The Social Transformation of American Medicine: The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry

Paul Starr

Jul 2018 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Sean Runnette

About this audiobook

Considered the definitive history of the American healthcare system, The Social Transformation of American Medicine examines how the roles of doctors, hospitals, health plans, and government programs have evolved over the last two and a half centuries. How did the financially insecure medical profession of the nineteenth century become a most prosperous one in the twentieth century? Why was national health insurance blocked? And why are corporate institutions taking over our medical care system today? Beginning in 1760 and coming up to the present day, renowned sociologist Paul Starr traces the decline of professional sovereignty in medicine, the political struggles over healthcare, and the rise of a corporate system. Updated with a new preface and an epilogue analyzing developments since the early 1980s, this new edition of The Social Transformation of American Medicine is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the future of our fraught healthcare system.

About the author

Paul Starr is a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and holds the Stuart Chair in Communications and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. A multiple prize-winning author of several books, Starr lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Sean Runnette, a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award winner, has also produced several Audie Award-winning audiobooks. His film and television appearances include Two If by Sea, Copland, Sex and the City, Law & Order, Third Watch, and lots and lots of commercials.