This volume investigates the sociological dimensions of the medical profession, focusing on how social structures, professional norms, and institutional hierarchies shape the practice of medicine. Dr. Judith Lorber and Eliot Freidson, both established scholars in medical sociology, curate a collection of foundational texts that examine the physician's role within the broader social order. The book argues that medical work cannot be understood in isolation from the cultural, political, and economic systems that define professional authority and patient interaction.

Experts recognize this reader as a foundational text for students of medical sociology and health policy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive overview of the field's development during the late twentieth century.