Medical Mystique

Abstract

The paper begins with a discussion of the concepts of "Indeterminacy" and "Technicality" in the context of a sociology of the professions. It is argued that the definition and preservation of areas of indeterminate knowledge are central in the creation of claims to professional expertise. In the second part of the paper, this argument is illustrated by two case studies drawn from intersegmental negotiations and disputes within the medical profession in Britain: the dispute over the remuneration over General Practitioners, 1963-1965, and the debate over specialist registration, 1968-1969.