Animals, veterinarians and the sociology of diagnosis

Hobson?West, Pru; Jutel, Anne-Marie

Abstract

While sociologists of medicine have focused their efforts on understanding human health, illness, and medicine, veterinary medical practice has not yet caught their attention in any sustained way. In this critical review paper, we use insights from the sociology of diagnosis literature to explore veterinary practice, and aim to demonstrate the importance of animals to sociological understandings of health, illness and disease. As in human medicine, our analysis shows the importance of diagnosis in creating and maintaining the power and authority of the veterinary professional. However, we then explore how diagnosis operates as a kind of dance, where professional authority can be challenged, particularly in light of the complex ethical responsibilities and clinical interactions that result from the triad of professional/owner/animal patient. Finally, we consider diagnosis via the precept of entanglement, and raise the intriguing possibility of interspecies health relations, whereby decision-making in human healthcare may be influenced by experiences in animal healthcare, and vice-versa. In our conclusion we argue that this analysis provides opportunities to scholars researching diagnosis in human healthcare, particularly around the impact of commercial drivers; has implications for veterinary and public health practitioners; and should help animate the emerging sociology of veterinary medicine.

Citation

Hobson?West, P., & Jutel, A. (2020). Animals, veterinarians and the sociology of diagnosis. Sociology of Health and Illness, 42(2), 393-406. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13017

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 16, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Oct 28, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Sep 18, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 10, 2020
• Journal: Sociology of Health & Illness
• Print ISSN: 0141-9889
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9566
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 393-406
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13017
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2629169
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-9566.13017