ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

244Rodica ŢuguiThe synthesis from sociologic perspectives about AIDS –“the last bigplague of the XIXth century”– considers it comparable with large collectivediseases that once suddenly affected the population. It is appreciated that thenotion of “epidemic”, attributed to AIDS in the first half of the `90s, wasmarked by resuscitating this phenomena and creating similarities between thedisease and the sin and also the punishment and deviation from norms,emphasizing the close relationships which can exist between the biologicalworld and the social world 3 .It is appreciated that reactions of hostility and discriminatory practicesappeared soon especially since the infectious character of this disease was provedand the fear of contracting the disease due to an unknown pathology for whichmedicine is helpless. Basically the fear of starting uncontrolled epidemics whichcan affect the society can produce similar effects. The social efforts underline thesame coercive responses: the isolation of the patients by creating special centers,measures of quarantine or of habit control, their systematic discovery also. Thesethemes have become the objects of often vivid political debates.The studies 4 prove that the resemblances do not stop here. Therepresentations and the interpretations of the disease, the conditions of itsapparition and spreading as its way of intervention to stop the epidemics inscribethemselves in a medical, social and political context which is different fromthose in which the cholera, tuberculoses and even cancer have constituted inthemselves a calamity in a different era. If AIDS constitutes in itself theneurologic point of our era the problems which are raised by it are specific for it.Even if it is about the status of the sick person, of homosexuality or toxicity,many feel it is about relations between the medical institutions and theresponsibility of public authority in controlling the epidemic. AIDS represents areflection of contemporary society. The assertion is valid since the diseaseleaves both public authorities and scientists powerless even though they areplaced under the question mark regarding the practices of health, medicaltheories and the political visions.Also is considered that even though the national context determineimportant differences especially about the system of health, of political andmedical institutions, the dynamics are similar especially in the medical researchfield (in fact it is international) and of the central role of different organizationsas well as of developing the community spirit to promote the fight against HIV.The debates and the controversies over discovering prevention and the status ofthe sick, stigmatization of homosexuality or use of drugs were and still arepresent in most of the countries but they often reach different conclusionsorder to have positive effect in stopping the two phenomena, a wide approach is needed in whichthe religious communities are included.3 See: Claude Thiaudière, Sociologie du Sida, Colecţia Repères, Paris, Éditions LaDécouverte, 2002.4 Ibidem, p. 3.