Occupational imperialism at work: the case of podiatric surgery

摘要

The emergence of British podiatric surgery, signalled by the rise of the Croydon Postgraduate Group (1968) and the Podiatry Association (1974), is examined as a case study illustrating the concepts of occupational imperialism and usurpationary social closure. A central feature of this development was the underpinning desire to extend the normative and legal boundaries of podiatric practice within the health division of labour. To this end, the Croydon Postgraduate Group and Podiatry Association evolved a series of strategies to establish invasive surgery within podiatric practice, alongside radiographic and intravenous anaesthetic techniques, without reliance upon medical legitimation. This represented a relatively atypical paramedical response to medical dominance.