The technology of medicine has outrun its sociology
Technology of any kind is a dynamic thing but sociological norms are quite static. The conflict between the two is natural but the facts of life show that technology predominates. Same is true about the technology of medicine. Though the goals of research are well defined, perused and achieved accordingly in the field of medicine, their impact on the society and future consequences are hard to define from sociological point of view. The societies often fail to realize what is beneficial for them till things prove before it their utility. The medicine is welcomed for its curing power of a disease though resisted or rejected due to social norms or taboos
In today's world the technology of medicine has improved a lot and it offers numerous solutions to the health related problems irrespective of the fact that our societal values, norms etc do not allow us to capitalize on them. For example, abortion is no more an impossibility in the modern medicine though the values of the society are against it. However, we see the outrun at a huge scale. If the medicine provides the solution, the people trapped rarely care what the societal norms direct. They simply avail the opportunity. In many societies, particularly in the Islamic society, the use of alcohol is forbidden, but for treatment purpose people do not care using alcoholic medicine. The use of contraception is a curse in some societies which is resulting in population explosion and is setting a serious challenge for the solution providers mainly because values are blatant.
As pointed out earlier, technology is too dynamic to be flexible to sociological constraints, but both should have a mutual sense of adaptation of one another. In this way there will be lesser opposition between the two and greater advantage for those who need the solution and those who can provide it. To achieve any kind of success at the application level, first the reform has to be brought through advocacy. Otherwise it would not be possible for the medical community to solve the problems. Health is the right of the people who can get it only when they will demand it.
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