The Child, His Family and Illness

Abstract

The physician can be more effective when he is called on to treat a common disease in a child if he understands the social structure and illness patterns of the family. The family situation may be one of the causative factors in the illness or it may influence the outcome. Illness in a child may have important repercussions on the rest of the family or may even be the presenting symptom of more serious disease in another member of the family.