This reader provides a comprehensive collection of both classic writings and more recent articles in the sociology of health and illness. It is organised into the following sections: health beliefs and knowledge inequalities and patterning of health and illness professional and patient interaction chronic illness and disability evaluation and politics in health care. Each section has an introduction, summarising the content and argument of each article in turn. The reader also has a general introduction which sets the scene for the field as a whole, contextualises each section and provides a guide to additional reading. The reader includes a number of different perspectives on health and illness, is international in scope, and will provide an invaluable resource to students across a wide range of courses in sociology and the social sciences.