The sociologist's view of medicine as a practising profession and as a societal institution is eclectic and still not fully developed. The range of issues subjected to their inquiry depend on the social and cultural milieu of the community under consideration. Advances in bio-medical technology, with rapid growth in complexity and consequently increase in the costs of diagnostic and therapeutic medical care, are important considerations in a developing country like India. It is a different matter that cost containment is now relevant even in rich countries.