The Chinese Hospital: A Socialist Work Unit

The 4 1/2-month long visit of a young American couple to a Wuhan teaching hospital in 1979-1980 was one of the first close encounters of the biomedical kind.

Abstract

In the history of our unfolding reacquaintance with China, the 4 1/2-month long visit of a young American couple to a Wuhan teaching hospital in 1979-1980 was one of the first close encounters of the biomedical kind. Gail Henderson was a graduate student in sociology at the time, while her husband, Myron Cohen, was a fellow in infectious diseases. They describe and discuss their infectious disease ward as a medical facility and their hospital as an example of a modern Chinese social/political/economic "work unit" (danwei). Their general social commentary extends well beyond medicine. Although the heavily footnoted academic style is not the stuff of Steven Spielberg films, the subject and the observations are fascinating. The book alternates between two distinct modes. Approximately 60 pages present data from the hospital and experiences from the ward. Detailed summaries explain administration, finances, patient load, and personnel practices at this institution. A survey of