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The forces determining the share of nat'l income available to the aged, & the way in which that share is distributed among diff groups within the aged, are examined. Most of the evidence relates to GB & the US. It is argued that the inability to work, which results in the econ dependency of old age, should be viewed as a socially determined problem. The main sources of support for the aged in industrialized countries are reviewed & it is concluded that, despite increases in real income, & instit'al developments such as the growth of employers' private pension schemes, provision by the state remains all important. The danger of viewing the retired as a homogeneous group with similar econ problems is emphasized, both because of the general inequality of distribution of resources among them, & because of the special econ problems of single & widowed women. Finally, it is argued that no very sophisticated standards of poverty are required to describe large numbers of the old as poor in both GB & US today. AA.

Hosp's are among the most complex org's in modern society, characterized by extremely fine DofL & an exquisite repertory of technical skill. The major hospital embraces multiple goals, chiefly patient care, teaching, & res. It is at once a hotel, a treatment center, a laboratory, a U. Because the instit's work is so specialized, staffed by a variety of professional & technical personnel, there are very important problems of coordination & authority. Paramount in the soc structure are relationships between patients & hospital staff & among staff members. The patient, both client & product of the org, enters a therapeutic situation in which his style is largely passive. He encounters the MD - like himself, a `guest' of the hospital - & the nurse, who is the full-time symbol of the org's atmosphere. The MD is undergoing a shift from his older charismatic role toward a more nearly bur'tic niche in the hosp. Staff relationships are distinguished by unclear patterns of authority & intense competition for spheres of competence & prestige. The MD is implicated as the professional least amenable to hierarchical control & the leading figure in skill & status. Although the hospital illustrates vital, unresolved issues in the org of work, it flourishes under the impetus of professional zeal & patients' needs. AA.