''Punchily written - He leaves the reader with a sense of the gross injustice of a world where health outcomes are so unevenly distributed'' Times Literary Supplement''Splendid and necessary'' Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm, New StatesmanThere are dramatic differences in health between countries and within countries. But this is not a simple matter of rich and poor.A poor man in Glasgow is rich compared to the average Indian, but the Glaswegian-s life expectancy is 8 years shorter. The Indian is dying of infectious disease linked to his poverty; the Glaswegian of violent death, suicide, heart disease linked to a rich country-s version of disadvantage. In all countries, people at relative social disadvantage suffer health disadvantage, dramatically so. Within countries, the higher the social status of individuals the better is their health. These health inequalities defy usual explanations. Conventional approaches to improving health have emphasised
