The comments on the latest Jade Goody post by “Dr63110″ made me think of a book I read many years ago called “Medicine and Culture” by Lynn Payer. Her comparative study of health systems showed that perceptions of disease and their treatments, or even what constitutes a disease, can vary dramatically even in Western countries and cultures.

The casebook link below contains bookmarks for what we think are roughly equivalent sites of government consumer health information in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France and Germany. These are provided for anyone who might like to do comparisons for particular diseases and conditions.

Does anyone know what the equivalent sites might be in other countries for example, Japan? We’ll be really interested in your comments!

See larger image Medicine and Culture: Revised Edition (Paperback) By (author) Lynn Payer List Price: $17.00 USD New From: $9.51 In Stock Used from: $1.43 In Stock

See larger image Medicine as Culture: Illness, Disease and the Body in Western Societies (Paperback) By (author) Professor Deborah Lupton List Price: $55.95 USD New From: $29.97 In Stock Used from: $25.21 In Stock

See larger image Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Travel (Paperback) By (author) Josef Woodman List Price: $22.95 USD New From: $13.79 In Stock Used from: $10.68 In Stock

See larger image The Complete Idiot's Guide to Medical Tourism (Paperback) By (author) Patrick W. Marsek, Frances Sharpe List Price: $19.95 USD New From: $11.64 In Stock Used from: $7.48 In Stock