Nicotine, Smoking and the Low Tar Programme

This concise book is one in a series entitled "Society Now" intended to provide introductory summaries of key areas in contemporary sociology.It consists of seven chapters, one each on defining, measuring, and explaining health, three more devoted to different types of explanation-described as "social-positivist", "interactionist", and "structuralist"-and concluding with one dealing with perspectives on health policy.Though some sociologists might quibble with the nomenclature for the first and third of the explanations discussed, all would recognise that Aggleton is facing squarely the fact that there is a number of different, and to some extent irreconcilable, sociological approaches to health.Moreover, they would also recognise that his general sociological understanding is a great deal sounder than that of many other authors of introductory texts in the sociology of health, illness and medicine.The book has two compelling strengths and two weaknesses.The first ofthe latter is more of a disappointment than a weakness: presumably in the interests of brevity, Aggleton presents nothing of sociology as a disciplined empirical, ie, scientific, endeavour.The second is less a weakness than a bit of a howler: describing techniques in epidemiological work, the account of case- control studies is uncertain, while that of cohort studies (which sociologists know under the heading of longitudinal studies) is so incomplete as to be misleading.But Aggleton's strengths outweigh the weaknesses.He writes very accessibly indeed.And above all else, his strong and highly appropriate sense of historical and cross cultural differences in scientific thought pervades the whole volume.Not all readers will be able to avoid finding patronising and simple minded the suggestions that punctuate the text, for activities they can undertake (often with a friend) to help unravel complexities in the discussion.But no doubt this is imposed on the author by the editor of a series mainly aimed at an "A" level market.This book will, however, be a valuable supplement to wider study for readers of this journal concerned to get to grips with contemporary sociology's contribution to investigating healthproviding a rewarding couple of hours on a train journey.