Communal responsibility: a history of health collectives in Australia.

Healthcare encompasses multiple discourses to which health professionals, researchers, patients, carers and lay individuals contribute. Networks of patients and non-professionals often act collectively to build capacity, enhance access to resources, develop understanding and improve provision of care. This article explores the concept of health collectives and three notable examples that have had an enduring and profound impact in the Australian context.

[Identity and social integration: analysis of sociability in a mutual aid society (1902-1933)]. / Identidad e integración social: análisis de la sociabilidad en una sociedad de socorros mutuos (1902-1933).

This article studies the sociability evidenced in the fiestas and other celebrations held by the Breastfeeding Infant Clinic and periodically organized by La Conciliación Mutual Aid Society between 1902 and 1933 as recreational acts with educational purposes. La Conciliación (1902-1984) was founded in Pamplona as an exclusively male Catholic association (women were admitted from 1936) composed of workers, employers and protector members, with labor, healthcare, and economic objectives under a Mixed Board of Governors with representatives from the three cohorts. The description of the events and the analyses of the emotional practices are based on newspaper reports and the association's archives. The acts organized by the Breastfeeding Infant Clinic served to stimulate positive emotions and maternal feelings of piety and charity and to arouse a sense of social utility in the upper social classes. We acknowledge the regulatory component of the emotions that appeared in the fiesta of La Conciliatión: conferences and social events proposed a social model that reinforced the participation of members and their families in the association's ideological and religious goals. The performative character of emotions was designed to reinforce the identity of the members of La Conciliation and their social integration in the city. This model of sociability strengthened the project of La Conciliation.

[SOS children: from the beginning to this day S. Godinas et M. Gérard]. / SOS enfants: des origines à nos jours.

Child abuse is a major and critical public health concern. We aim to present the "Abused Children Intervention Program" of the National Office for Childcare, and to delineate the current situation, using our recent experience at the Saint-Pierre's Teaching Hospital in Brussels. The SOS Children teams focus on children protection while providing support for abusing parents. We will notice how a preventive initiative aimed at reducing child abuse can give lead to a specialized structure dealing with abuse situations.

Can religion help prevent obesity? Religious messages and the prevalence of being overweight or obese among Korean women in California.

This research examines the influence of messages from religious leaders and congregants on whether Korean women are overweight or obese. Data were drawn from telephone interviews with a probability sample (N = 591) of women of Korean descent living in California. Overweight or obese prevalence was measured using World Health Organization standards for Asians (BMI > 23). Respondents reported the frequency of messages discouraging "excessive eating" or encouraging "exercise" from religious leaders and congregants during a typical month. When conditioned on leaders' messages, the frequency of congregants' messages was associated with a significantly lower probability of being overweight or obese, although messages from either in the absence of the other were unassociated with being overweight or obese. At least for Korean women, religion may help prevent obesity via religious-based social mechanisms.

A neoliberalisation of civil society? Self-help groups and the labouring class poor in rural South India.

This paper notes the prominence of self-help groups (SHGs) within current anti-poverty policy in India, and analyses the impacts of government- and NGO-backed SHGs in rural North Karnataka. It argues that self-help groups represent a partial neoliberalisation of civil society in that they address poverty through low-cost methods that do not challenge the existing distribution of power and resources between the dominant class and the labouring class poor. It finds that intra-group savings and loans and external loans/subsidies can provide marginal economic and political gains for members of the dominant class and those members of the labouring classes whose insecure employment patterns currently provide above poverty line consumption levels, but provide neither material nor political gains for the labouring class poor. Target-oriented SHG catalysts are inattentive to how the social relations of production reproduce poverty and tend to overlook class relations and socio-economic and political differentiation within and outside of groups, which are subject to interference by dominant class local politicians and landowners.

New problems of a new health system: the creation of a national public policy of rare diseases care in Brazil (1990s-2010s). / Nuevos problemas de un nuevo sistema de salud: la creación de una política pública nacional de atención de enfermedades raras en Brasil (1990-2014).

This study discusses actors and institution movements leading to the disclosure in 2014 of Resolution 199 by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which establishes the National Policy for the Comprehensive Care of Persons with Rare Diseases. Taking as sources the mainstream newspapers, drafts law, and secondary literature on the subject, we begin our analysis in the early 1990s when the first patient associations were created in Brazil - mainly for claiming more funds for research on genetic diseases - and arrive at the late 2010s when negotiations for a national policy are taking place in the National Congress. Resolution 199 is part of an ongoing process and the path towards its disclosure and the complications that followed have given us elements to discuss contemporary aspects of the Brazilian public health. Based on the references of the history of the present time and the social studies of science, we argue that two aspects have been fundamental to creating a national policy: framing different illnesses within the terminology "rare diseases" and the construction of a public perception about the right of health which is guaranteed by the 1988 Brazilian Constitution.

En este trabajo se analizan los movimientos de actores e instituciones que llevaron a la promulgación, en 2014, de la Resolución 199 del Ministerio de Salud de Brasil, que establece la Política Nacional de Atención Integral a las Personas con Enfermedades Raras. Tomando como fuentes los principales periódicos, proyectos de ley y bibliografía secundaria sobre el tema, comenzamos nuestro análisis a principios de la década de 1990 con la creación de las primeras asociaciones de pacientes en Brasil, para reclamar fundamentalmente más fondos para la investigación de enfermedades genéticas, y llegamos a fines de la década de 2010 con las negociaciones para una política nacional. La Resolución 199 es parte de un proceso en curso, en el que el camino hacia la promulgación y las complicaciones posteriores nos dan elementos para discutir aspectos actuales de la salud pública brasileña. Sobre la base de la historia del tiempo presente y los estudios sociales de la ciencia, argumentamos que hay dos aspectos que han sido fundamentales para crear una política nacional: enmarcar diferentes enfermedades en la terminología "enfermedades raras" y la construcción de una percepción pública sobre el derecho a la salud, que se garantiza en la Constitución brasileña de 1988.

Prenatal care: limitations and opportunities.

Prenatal care is a venerable tradition in the U.S. health care system and one that deserves critical examination. Inordinate amounts of public and personal resources are expended on a tradition of care that has not proven itself equal to current perinatal prevention challenges. In this article, the evolution of prenatal care is reviewed, its efficacy is critiqued, and efforts at restructuring the content and processes of care are examined. Three promising alternatives to the dominant medical model are described: the comprehensive prenatal care approach illustrated by many publicly funded prenatal clinics, the prenatal empowerment model as exemplified by midwifery care, and the prenatal group model as illustrated by CenteringPregnancy. Nurses are called upon to champion prenatal options for women.

'We Were More Radical back then': Victoria's First Self-Advocacy Organisation for People with Intellectual Disability.

This article is concerned with exploring the historical development of Reinforce, the oldest self-advocacy organisation for people with intellectual disability in Victoria. In particular, it considers how governmental indifference, as well as ad hoc funding and support, has hindered the growth of the organisation and, more generally, the growth of the self-advocacy movement in Victoria. By obtaining a deeper understanding of the input from the policy makers, professionals, and supporters working in the field of intellectual disability, we can begin to comprehend some of the reasons for the comparatively slow development of self-advocacy in this country.

A century of medical students' activities (Medical College Union/Medical Society).

The Medical College Union (MCU) was formed in 1922 to encourage and promote comradeship and public spirit amongst the students of King Edward VII College of Medicine. The Medical College Union Society was founded and held its first meeting on 31 July 1936. However, the Annual Report for 1940-42 made no reference to the Society at all and it was hence considered to cease to exist as an official body. The Medical Society (Medsoc), headed by Mr Goon Sek Mun, was formed in 1949 and it organised various activities and events for the faculty. Some of these are still being held annually today, with the addition of several others and phasing out of some. These were organised by the individual subgroups in the Medical society, like the Social, Welfare, Sports and Publications committees. The Medsoc also acts as the students' voice in conveying their opinions to the administration and the Dean. With the expected advent of a new medical school in Singapore--a postgraduate one in the Outram Campus, the medical student community in Singapore will only get larger. There should be a role for Medsoc to foster closer ties between the student communities.

Stigma and the addiction paradigm for obesity: lessons from 1950s America.

AIMS: To discuss an historical episode in which obesity was conceptualized as an addictive disorder and declared to be a major epidemic in the early postwar United States. This history illuminates past consequences of framing obesity as an addiction in ways that may inform constructive policy responses today. METHODS: Review of secondary and primary sources, including archival documents, relating to obesity in biomedical and popular thought of the 1940s and 1950s. RESULTS: In the United States in the late 1940s and 1950s, new medical thinking about obesity reinterpreted overweight and obesity as chiefly the consequence of addiction (understood in the then dominant psychodynamic theory as a psychological defect, oral fixation). This new conception was rapidly taken up in popular discourse and clinical practice, with adverse effects through amplification of weight stigma. Further, in the conservative political context, the addiction concept contributed to an ineffective policy response to the alarming new epidemiological evidence about obesity's consequences. Despite a lack of evidence for efficacy of the intervention, public health efforts focused on correcting individual eating behaviour among obese people by encouraging self-help in lay groups modelled, in part, on Alcoholics Anonymous. Population-level intervention was neglected. CONCLUSIONS: Current public health policy initiatives must be mindful of the risks of reframing obesity as an addiction. These include inadvertently reinforcing stigma, narrowing responses to those aiming to modify individual behaviour and biology and neglecting population policies aiming to reduce the consumption of energy-dense foods, as all occurred in the 1950s United States.

Nuevos problemas de un nuevo sistema de salud: la creación de una política pública nacional de atención de enfermedades raras en Brasil (1990-2014) / New problems of a new health system: the creation of a national public policy of rare diseases care in Brazil (1990s-2010s)

RESUMEN En este trabajo se analizan los movimientos de actores e instituciones que llevaron a la promulgación, en 2014, de la Resolución 199 del Ministerio de Salud de Brasil, que establece la Política Nacional de Atención Integral a las Personas con Enfermedades Raras. Tomando como fuentes los principales periódicos, proyectos de ley y bibliografía secundaria sobre el tema, comenzamos nuestro análisis a principios de la década de 1990 con la creación de las primeras asociaciones de pacientes en Brasil, para reclamar fundamentalmente más fondos para la investigación de enfermedades genéticas, y llegamos a fines de la década de 2010 con las negociaciones para una política nacional. La Resolución 199 es parte de un proceso en curso, en el que el camino hacia la promulgación y las complicaciones posteriores nos dan elementos para discutir aspectos actuales de la salud pública brasileña. Sobre la base de la historia del tiempo presente y los estudios sociales de la ciencia, argumentamos que hay dos aspectos que han sido fundamentales para crear una política nacional: enmarcar diferentes enfermedades en la terminología "enfermedades raras" y la construcción de una percepción pública sobre el derecho a la salud, que se garantiza en la Constitución brasileña de 1988.

ABSTRACT This study discusses actors and institution movements leading to the disclosure in 2014 of Resolution 199 by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which establishes the National Policy for the Comprehensive Care of Persons with Rare Diseases. Taking as sources the mainstream newspapers, drafts law, and secondary literature on the subject, we begin our analysis in the early 1990s when the first patient associations were created in Brazil - mainly for claiming more funds for research on genetic diseases - and arrive at the late 2010s when negotiations for a national policy are taking place in the National Congress. Resolution 199 is part of an ongoing process and the path towards its disclosure and the complications that followed have given us elements to discuss contemporary aspects of the Brazilian public health. Based on the references of the history of the present time and the social studies of science, we argue that two aspects have been fundamental to creating a national policy: framing different illnesses within the terminology "rare diseases" and the construction of a public perception about the right of health which is guaranteed by the 1988 Brazilian Constitution.

Paul-Maurice Legrain (1860-1939).

Paul-Maurice Legrain was the most prominent, yet least representative, figure in the late nineteenth century French temperance movement. He founded the first popular temperance organization and was France's leading expert in the treatment of alcoholics. Yet Legrain advocated total abstinence from alcohol, a concept that, even among French temperance supporters, was considered foreign and fanatical. Permanently on the margins of the temperance movement, Legrain campaigned for abstinence within the trade union movement and developed the production of fruit juice. He was also instrumental in establishing the first public facility for the treatment of alcoholics. His life-long efforts to convince the French of the virtues of abstinence may illustrate the dangers of an uncritical acceptance of foreign models, but his openness to these different ideas resulted in unique insights and opportunities.

Ileostomy and colostomy support groups.

The first organized ostomy support group in the world was formed at The Mount Sinai Hospital, in 1950, through the efforts of a surgeon and the patients themselves. Later, similar groups were set up in other locations and some even took the name of Mount Sinai's first such society (QT). These groups had two major functions: Psychological: reassurance and understanding from other ostomates before and after the operation; advice on how to deal with oneself and others. Educational: instruction on the details of stoma management; information for surgeons on the proper location and other details of fashioning a stoma; information to the public on the existence and needs of ostomates. In order to extend services to more people and with more individual attention, a special clinic was established at The Mount Sinai Hospital devoted entirely to patients with ileostomy and colostomy. It too was the first of its kind anywhere. Years later, two surgeons arranged an all-day convention of the ostomy groups in the greater New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas, at the New York Academy of Medicine. At the convention, the idea of a national society was conceived. In the following years - in Detroit, then Cleveland, and finally Los Angeles - the United Ostomy Association was developed, structured, and incorporated. The educational uses of the ostomy groups were later supplemented and partly replaced by enterostomal therapists who originally were trained and practiced in Cleveland. Now the therapists, the societies, and the ostomates themselves are available to patients with various types of stomas, whether recent or longstanding, before and after surgery.

Support groups for patients with genetic disorders and their families.

In conclusion, those working in pediatric clinics owe it to themselves to know about the relatively new team member, the genetic support group. As the human genome becomes less mysterious to professional and patient alike and as its demystification creates an ever-increasing number of ethical and social dilemmas, consumers and professionals, interested perhaps for different reasons in finding treatment and cure, must work together as partners. Availability of medical care for the family who must cope with a genetic disorder is only one part of the total health picture. Access to communication with and compassion of one family with another family, of one child with another child, of one parent with another parent, within a support group of caring persons, proves one of the most meaningful medical tools that pediatricians can offer their patients. Those working within the walls of the pediatric clinic are in a crucial place to address the comprehensive needs of families with genetic disorders and to identify the role of the genetic support group in a treatment plan.

The institutional phase of the Washington Total Abstinence Movement. A research note.

Many of the practices and beliefs of the Washingtonian Total Abstinence Movement were adopted by reformatory homes for "drunkards" that were established in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia in the mid-1800s.

Retrospective study of similarities and relations between American drug-free and European therapeutic communities for children and adults.

This article focuses on the similarities and relations between the European therapeutic community for children and adults on the one hand and the American drug-free "concept" therapeutic community on the other. Both approaches are reviewed in a historical and comparative perspective with special attention to several critical issues: democracy versus hierarchy, self-help versus professionalism, psychoanalysis versus behaviorism and concept versus social learning. These two different TC-approaches can be considered as subdivisions of one modality, namely an environment for social learning in which living together in a group can be regarded as the primary agent of growth and human development. In recent years there has been a tendency towards further integration of these two approaches.

Group psychotherapy and related helping groups today: an overview.

Following an historical summary of the broader group helping field, the article differentiates among clinical group psychotherapy, "therapeutic" groups, human relations and training groups, as well as mutual-help and self-help groups. Twelve major theoretical models of group interventions are delineated, followed by an account of the current status of group treatment theory, practice and research. The role of group interventions in the fields of physical, sexual and substance abuse, chronic illness, and trauma--as in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks--are highlighted. A glimpse at the future of group treatments considers the obstacles and prospects occasioned by the managed care "revolution" in mental health.

Group of pregnant women and / or pregnant couples: a collective construction process (1996-2016) / Grupo de gestantes y / o casos embarazados: un procedimiento de construcción colectiva (1996-2016) / Grupo de gestantes e/ou casais grávidos: um processo de construção coletiva (1996-2016)

ABSTRACT Objective: To understand how the process of construction of the Group of Pregnant Women and/or Pregnant Couples of the Federal University of Santa Catarina from 1996 to 2016 was established. Method: Qualitative research of a social historical nature, involving nine health professionals who participated in the group of pregnant women and/or pregnant couples in this period. The date of collection took place between February and May 2017. Data analysis was guided by Orem's Self-Care Theory and Bardin's content analysis technique. Results: The process of construction of the group of pregnant women had strong influence from the public health policies of the University Hospital Maternity and its assistance of the time. Likewise, it was created based on the need for guidance to pregnant women and their companions to deal with the pregnancy-puerperal process with the perspective of a multidisciplinary and integral work, stimulating self-knowledge and self-care. Conclusion: The group emerged as an extension project and strengthened by public health policies, its scientific evidences and by the assistance philosophy of a maternity school. The group building process involved a set of actions, planning and execution of activities, building an educational space, free of charge, with an exchange of mutual experience and open to the community.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Comprender cómo se instituyó el proceso de construcción del Grupo de Gestantes y/ o Parejas embarazadas de la Universidad Federal de Santa Catarina en el período de 1996 a 2016. Método: Investigación cualitativa de naturaleza histórica social, involucrando a nueve profesionales de salud que participaron del grupo de gestantes y/o parejas embarazadas en este período. La recolección de datos ocurrió entre febrero y mayo de 2017. El análisis de datos fue guiado por la Teoría del Autocuidado de Orem y por la técnica de análisis de contenido de Bardin. Resultados: El proceso de construcción del grupo de gestantes tuvo fuerte influencia de las políticas públicas de salud de la época y de la maternidad del Hospital Universitario y su filosofía asistencial. Igualmente, fue creado a partir de la necesidad de orientación a las gestantes y sus acompañantes para lidiar con el proceso gravídico-puerperal con la perspectiva de un trabajo multidisciplinario e integral, estimulando el autoconocimiento y el auto-cuidado. Conclusión: El grupo surgió como un proyecto de extensión fortalecido por políticas públicas de salud, sus evidencias científicas y por la filosofía asistencial de una maternidad-escuela. El proceso de construcción del grupo involucró un conjunto de acciones, planificación y ejecución de actividades construyendo un espacio educativo, gratuito, con intercambio de experiencia mutua y abierta a la comunidad.

RESUMO Objetivo: Compreender como se instituiu o processo de construção do Grupo de Gestantes e/ou Casais Grávidos na Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, no período de 1996 a 2016. Método: Pesquisa qualitativa de natureza histórico-social, envolvendo nove profissionais de saúde que participaram do grupo de gestantes e/ou casais grávidos neste período. A coleta de dados aconteceu entre fevereiro e maio de 2017. A análise de dados foi guiada pela Teoria do Autocuidado de Orem e pela técnica de análise de conteúdo de Bardin. Resultados: O processo de construção do grupo de gestantes teve forte influência das políticas públicas de saúde da época, da maternidade do Hospital Universitário e sua filosofia assistencial. Igualmente, foi criado a partir da necessidade de orientação às gestantes e seus acompanhantes para lidar com o processo gravídico-puerperal, na perspectiva de um trabalho multidisciplinar e integral estimulando o autoconhecimento e o autocuidado. Conclusão: O grupo surgiu como projeto de extensão fortalecido por políticas públicas de saúde, suas evidências científicas e pela filosofia assistencial de uma maternidade-escola. O processo de construção do grupo envolveu um conjunto de ações, planejamento e execução de atividades construindo um espaço educativo, gratuito, com troca de experiência mútua e aberto a comunidade.