Health, Disease, and Illness as Conceptual Tools

There is no absolute consensus on the definitions of health, disease, and illness, even though these concepts are central not only in medicine but also in the health social sciences. A definition of each of the concepts is imperative because they constitute part of the analytical tools in medical sociology. This chapter presents definitions of these concepts, noting that each of them is multidimensional, complex, and sometimes elusive. The WHO’s definition of health is critically examined with respects to its components, criticisms, and alternative definitions of health. This chapter proceeds to discuss the features of a disease and the specific realities of illness by showing the difference between the two concepts. Disease and illness categories (acute, chronic, accidents/injuries, and mental disease/illness) are discussed. The chapter concludes with a strong emphasis on the cultural beliefs regarding illness causation among lay populations, especially in the African context. The natural, supernatural, mystical, and hereditary/genetic causations are discussed based on cultural realities but are sometimes divergent from biomedical models of disease causation.