Socio-cultural, historical, political and economic dimensions of health and medicine

Health is one of the most important areas of human development and, along with quality of life, occupies a prominent place in the academic world, being studied from various theoretical perspectives and from different scientific disciplines. These studies try to explain, from the micro to the macro, what it means and what elements are involved in the health of individuals in particular and of society in general. However, given the diversity of perspectives, there is no consensus on the definition of health. At the beginning, the study of health focused on biomedical research into disease. This approach has shown its limits in understanding health in its most complete dimension, as defined by the World Health Organization as early as 1946 : “ health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity ” ( preamble to the WHO Constitution, 1946 ). This “ positive ” orientation of health is later taken up as a universal human right ( Declaration of Human Rights, art. 25 ), being considered today not only a right, but also a value in itself, an aspiration and a social demand.