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Understanding AIDS: Historical interpretations and the limits of biomedical individualism

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  • Fee, E.
  • Krieger, N.

Abstract

The popular and scientific understanding of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States has been shaped by successive historical constructions or paradigms of disease. In the first paradigm, AIDS was conceived of as a 'gay plague,' by analogy with the sudden, devastating epidemics of the past. In the second, AIDS was normalized as a chronic disease to be managed medically over the long term. By examining and extending critiques of both paradigms, it is possible to discern the emergence of an alternative paradigm of AIDS as a collective chronic infectious disease and persistent pandemic. Each of these constructions of AIDS incorporates distinct views of the etiology, prevention, pathology, and treatment of disease; each tacitly promotes different conceptions of the proper allocation of individual and social responsibility for AIDS. This paper focuses on individualistic vs collective, and biomedical vs social and historical, understandings of disease. It analyzes the uses of individualism as methodology and as ideology, criticizes some basic assumption of the biomedical model, and discusses alternative strategies for scientific research, health policy, and disease prevention.

Suggested Citation

  • Fee, E. & Krieger, N., 1993. "Understanding AIDS: Historical interpretations and the limits of biomedical individualism," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 83(10), pages 1477-1486.
  • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1993:83:10:1477-1486_2
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    Cited by:

    1. Yaqub, Ohid & Coburn, Josie & Moore, Duncan A.Q., 2023. "Knowledge spillovers from HIV research-funding," SocArXiv gcuhn, Center for Open Science.
    2. Nepal, Binod, 2007. "AIDS denial in Asia: Dimensions and roots," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(2-3), pages 133-141, December.
    3. Sadete Pllana & Gani Pllana, 2021. "Overview of Some Borrowed Terms from Romance Languages in Legal Terminology in Albanian," European Journal of Language and Literature Studies Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 7, July -Dec.
    4. Rhodes, Tim & Singer, Merrill & Bourgois, Philippe & Friedman, Samuel R. & Strathdee, Steffanie A., 2005. "The social structural production of HIV risk among injecting drug users," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 1026-1044, September.
    5. Nai-Ying Ko & Wei-Hsin Lu & Yi-Lung Chen & Dian-Jeng Li & Yu-Ping Chang & Chia-Fen Wu & Peng-Wei Wang & Cheng-Fang Yen, 2020. "Changes in Sex Life among People in Taiwan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Risk Perception, General Anxiety, and Demographic Characteristics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-15, August.

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