ABSTRACT
Human endeavours to postpone death and moderate pain provide endless material for the sociologist. The pace of addition to that literature is so great as to disguise the fact that amid the welter of health policy and outcome studies, there are not only no new sociological directions, but little sociological direction of any kind. The 'new public health' does presuppose new understandings of social action, even though professional sociologists have contributed little to them. The core of Acheson is its call to recognise above all the need for continuing cooperation and collaboration between the two main statutory agencies — health and local authorities. Ideas of health and cleanliness are vital and fundamental components in the social construction of symbolic and physical order in society. The self-image of 'sociology in action' is one of sociology making a contribution to policy, rather than vice versa.
