The aim of this essay is to explain and evaluate two models of health. The models that were chosen are the Biomedical Model and the Social Model of Health. Each model will be defined along with strengths and weaknesses which will be presented throughout.
The Biomedical Model focuses on the biological and physical aspects of illness and disease. (Examples would include; X-Rays, scans, blood tests, ultrasound etc). It is a model of health practised by health professionals, this is associated with the precautions, diagnosis, cure and treatment for disease. It characterizes health as an individual being free of infection or sickness, it is the prevailing model utilised all through the greater part of western societies, and for the most part seen as the only legitimate way to treat illness. However, it does not consider issues such as cultural or social issues.
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This thought started amid the Cartesian revolution and was named after René Descartes-a French Philosopher. This empowered the thought that the mind and body are self-sufficient. Louis Pasteur's 1850's advancement of "germ hypothesis" was another major development of the biomedical model of health. This was the revelation that germs were the cause, and not the product, of an