The historical sociology of healthcare
pp. 97-111
in: Derek Colquhoun, Allan Kellehear (eds), Health research in practice, Berlin, Springer, 1993Abstract
At its most basic, a research method is a means of "knowing' about the social world. It represents one particular means of answering the fundamental question about the basis of knowledge of the social world. How can we "know' about the social world? There are three main answers to this epistemological question. One can know about others by either observing and listening, by asking, or by reading their accounts (either contemporary or historical). In this chapter I both argue for the legitimacy and indeed importance of historical research in the domain of health research methods, and outline some of the practical lessons that emerge from such research that others seeking to embark along a similar methodological road might consider.