In the United States today we are confronted by a number of serious social problems, not the least of which concern the character of our basic human services. In each of the broad public domains of welfare, education, law, and health there are crises of public confidence. Each in its own way is fail[...]

"Must be judged as a landmark in medical sociology."--Norman Denzin, "Journal of Health and Social Behavior"

""Profession of Medicine" is a challenging monograph; the ideas presented are stimulating and thought provoking. . . . Given the expanding domain of what illness is and the conten[...]

Eliot Freidson has written the first systematic account of professionalism as a method of organizing work. In ideal--typical professionalism, specialized workers control their own work, while in the free market consumers are in command, and in bureaucracy managers dominate.[...]