SOCIAL CAUSES OF ILLNESS by Richard Totman Pantheon; 263 pages; $10
What makes people sick? Medical science believes that little thingsparasites, bacteria and virusesare the villains. Psychiatry suggests that people sometimes make themselves, or, more probably, imagine themselves to be ill Richard Totman, an Oxford University psychologist, offers another explanation He holds society responsible. Drawing upon empirical and anecdotal evidence he argues that many apparently "physical" illnessesincluding ulcers, hypertension and heart disease, as well as cancer and the state of mental deterioration known as senilityare the products of an individual's inability to behave as the world expects him to. "The risk of...
