Tag: Social model

Historically, the medical model has been a dominant framework for understanding disability, viewing it primarily as a physical or mental impairment intrinsic to the individual. Understanding **what describes the medical model of disability** is crucial for recognizing how it has influenced healthcare practices, societal attitudes, and the lives of people with disabilities throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Since Louis Pasteur’s germ theory became widely accepted in the 19th century, the medical model has served as the dominant paradigm for understanding disease. This foundational approach shapes how modern medicine answers the question, **What is the medical model of health and illness?**, by focusing on biological and physiological factors.

While no single person is credited with creating the core principles of the medical model, two notable psychiatrists were instrumental in coining and popularizing the term itself. Unpacking who invented the medical model reveals a narrative not of a singular creation, but of a conceptual framework that evolved over centuries.