Document Detail


The ubiquitous Mandarin. Notes on the social organization of elite medicine in the twentieth century.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19848220     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The aim of this essay is to reflect on the prominence given to individuals in the history of medicine. Although modern medicine, just as modern science before, has grown in complexity to the point of implying a great number of actors engaged in highly institutionalized processes, the historiography of the field is still dominated by biographical research. The persistence of high level of individualization observed in elite medicine originates, first and foremost, in the "multipositionality" of prominent physicians. By holding positions in universities, hospitals, research institutes, and providing expertise to the public and the private sectors as well as non-profit organizations, medical Mandarins bridge the gap between the different social worlds of modern medicine. Building on a case study, namely the career of Robert Debré, I shed light on the specific qualities that are often attributed to such multipositional actors, and on the accumulation of "symbolic capital" that help legitimize their professional dominance.
Authors:
Luc Berlivet
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Medicina nei secoli     Volume:  20     ISSN:  0394-9001     ISO Abbreviation:  Med Secoli     Publication Date:  2008  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-10-23     Completed Date:  2009-12-02     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0176472     Medline TA:  Med Secoli     Country:  Italy    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  847-69     Citation Subset:  QIS    
Affiliation:
Ecole Française de Rome and Centre de Recherche Médecine Science Santé et Société (CNRS - INSERM - EHESS), Paris, F. berlivet@vjf.cnrs.fr
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Biography as Topic*
Career Mobility
Historiography*
History of Medicine
History, 20th Century
Humans
Physicians / history*
Social Class

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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