SOCIAL-CONTEXT OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS - ST ARTING POINTS AND FACILITIES OF INVESTIGATION

The aim of the paper is to revive scientific interest in sociology of medicine as theoretical and methodological starting point of investiga tion of present problems of health and illness. The paper presents the matic field of sociology of medicine, its historical development, the relevance of study of patient - doctor relationship, the findings of s ocial aspects of therapeutic process and relationship between sociolog y and clinical pharmacology. The author argues that people's attitude (approach) towards their health, doctor. and their behaviour in patien t's role is changing due factors such as continuous increase of inform ation and democratisation of people's access to it, demythologising of medicine and failures of huge centralised health service institutions and the competition of so called alternative medicine. In changing so cial climate patient is expected to take active role in therapeutic pr ocess - to be informed, responsible and co-operating. On the other han d, the use of sociological knowledge can help physicians to do more ef fective therapy and contribute to enhanced human life quality. The pap er draws attention to works of several contemporary authors with vario us disciplinary backgrounds (medicine, clinical pharmacology, epidemio logy, etc.) joined by common interest in use of sociological knowledge and by taking sociology as the partner in interdisciplinary approach to multidimensional problem of human health.