Health is something that many would not associate with a social issue, and yet many sociologists argue that it is a major social issue. They argue that how we perceive and understand health depends on society. In 1946, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being” (WHO, 2003). This definition is very holistic in the sense that it encompasses all aspects of a person's life. It's also very idealistic and unattainable for most people. Health can also be seen as the “absence of disease”, which is a more traditional view, which views illness as a deviation from the norms of the body (Blaxter, 2010, p5). There is no definition of health that everyone subscribes to, and how people understand it is shaped by society. Although health is experienced in the body, we are linked to it through social institutions such as medicine, and our status in society can have a profound effect on our chances of being healthy. By examining the different ways in which health is linked to society, I will attempt to show how health is a social issue as well as a biological one. When the NHS was introduced in 1948, managers believed that after dealing with the backlog of people in poor health, demand for healthcare would fall, as everyone became healthier (Moore, 2008, p281). However, this was an incorrect assumption and, on the contrary, the demand for health care increased. Indeed, health standards were changing as health care improved, so people were constructing a new idea of ​​what “healthy” was. This shows that people perceive health in relation to the people around them and that health is not fixed, but rather subject to society. Dubos noted in his book "Mirage of Health"....... middle of article......, D. 1998., Independent investigations into health inequalities. London: Stationary Office. •Macionis, J,. Plumber, K., 2012. Sociology: a global introduction. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson.•Siegler, V., 2011. Social inequalities in alcohol-related adult mortality according to the socio-economic classification of national statistics. [pdf] Available at: http://ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/hsq/quarterly-health-statistics/no--50--summer-2011/social-inequality-in-adult-mortality- alcohol-related-by-national-statistics-socio-economic-classification--england-and-wales-- 2001-03. [Consulted December 19, 2013].• Conrad, P. and Schneider, J., 1980. Deviance and medicalization: from evil to illness. St Louis: Mosby.•Fox, N., Ward, K., O'Rourke, A., 2005. Pr-Anorexia, weight loss drugs and the Internet: an anti-recovery explanatory model of anorexia. Sociology of health and illness, Vol 27 (7): pp944-971.