Stories of Healing and Pain: Exploring Medical Humanities and Pathographies in Literature

Humanities popularly explore the creed of human values, enquire into modes of living, reflect the ethos of different periods, and, most importantly, help us foster unique ways of expressing ourselves. But what if the Humanities befriend the medical world and gift us a new interdisciplinary field called 'Medical Humanities'? 

 

It is time to stir your spirit of enquiry and delve into the phenomenal world of Medical Humanities. This blog covers the most exciting aspects it has to offer, so read on! An Online MA in English will provide you with all the accouterments for such multidisciplinary areas of study.

 

What are Medical Humanities?

Stephen Pattison first articulated the potential of this emerging field when he compared Medical Humanities to a “broad church” of varied interpretations and arguments that help participants go beyond narrow disciplinary limits and worldviews.

 

It revolves around the interaction between art, literature, history, psychology, culture, and healthcare narratives in terms of illness and therapy. The term was coined in America in the 1960s.

 

If you wish to journal the journey of recovery from a malady, you would be writing your personal views or an illness narrative, highlighting your fortitude in fighting it. This would help others to grow new perspectives on it. Medical Humanities teach us about sensitivity and expand the horizon of medical and health studies to prioritize the feelings of patients. 

 

Medical Humanities in the UK and North America

 

After the end of the Second World War, the 'Arts for Health' movement gained momentum, with art therapies at the center of the discourse. Art therapies took multiple forms: Drama, Plays, Painting, and Writing. In the US, medical sciences were accused of 'inhumanity' for treating patients as objects of scientific exploration in the 1960s and 1970s. This led to the birth of 'Narrative Medicine' in the early years of Medical Humanities, which values the 'history' of a sick person and the 'meaning of illness for the individual in context.'

 

 A connection between literature and medicine was made when doctors’ discerning skills of a patient’s illness were compared to the deductive intelligence of a detective in crime fiction.

 

Graphic Pathography

 

Literature saw a movement from the depiction of perfect heroes in classic texts to protagonists who were paranoid and anxious. This literary development is synonymous with the countercultural movement in the Western world that invited discussion on taboo topics. Comics dealt with the portrayal of the healthcare community and the afflictions of patients. From the 1920s, several comic narratives focused on doctors and other healthcare professionals’ adventures in clinical setups. "Rex Morgan, M.D." paved the way by portraying characters grappling with emotional issues and the eponymous doctor who tended to them. 

 

The strip was hailed for initiating a cultural conversation around diseases not discussed before. "The Adventures of Young Dr. Masters" was another comic narrative that drew society’s attention to the idea of empathy in healthcare. "Love on Ward B" spawned a genre of Medical Romance that also humanized the lives of such professionals and nurtured a 'narrative of stability and hope' in hospitals, defying the stereotypical gloom associated with such spaces.

 

Graphic Autobiography

 

What happens when a writer attempts to chart his pathological thoughts into an autobiographical comic? It helps with the purging of repressed emotions. American cartoonist, Justin Green tackled controversial issues related to religion and obsessive thoughts in Binky Brown. He was later diagnosed with a psychological disorder. Therapeutic Writing can therefore help in alleviating stress and developing self-awareness. Words have healing powers. The Human Condition illustrates it with an example.

 

In the 4^th century B.C.E., Egyptians harbored a mysterious belief. Words inscribed on papyrus were often considered hallowed for the reading public. They were thought to have healing powers. The proof can be found at the Library of Alexandria, which bears the following line: “The Healing Place of the Soul”.

 

The 1970s witnessed the rise of the graphic novel. They contained unique representations of illnesses that created an audience more receptive towards others’ sufferings. Depresso is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel that narrates the account of the hero’s battle with a mental illness. It maps the trajectory of his diagnosis, recovery and reflections on the travails of diseased people. It fought against the stigma of such ailments.

 

Metaphorical language is often employed to personalize the expressions of illness. Comics incorporate such literary symbols and genres in their exploration. But Susan Sontag, an American critic, decried the use of metaphor in the description of diseases like Tuberculosis and Cancer. It can reinforce the stigma of infectiousness often connected with these. The human body and its myriad experiences tie the threads of literature and medicine together.

 

Genre of Autopathography

 

The term, Autopathography, was first brought into the parlance of Medical Humanities by G. Causer. It portrays the pain writers undergo vividly from their own perspective. It aims at destigmatizing illness, initiating a conversation on the role of caregivers and engendering empathy among fellow sufferers. 

 

Nikolai Gogol, a Russian writer, wrote a few short stories that straddle the thin line between pathography and autopathography.

 

Diary of a Madman captures the insanity of its protagonist as this story is often ranked as one of the first literary explorations of schizophrenia. His novel Dead Souls also talks about a pathological trait in humans. 

 

A modern American classic Sylvia Plath’s A Bell Jar ruminates over details from the author’s life, earning it the label of a roman-à-clef . 

 

American author, Susanna Kaysen, reflects on her time spent in a psychiatric unit in Girl, Interrupted. Amidst a slew of life-writing, narratives of pain can also be found in the accounts written by sportsmen. 

 

Yuvraj Singh, in his The Test of My Life, records the shift between his identity as a cricketer and a cancer patient. Trauma shapes a significant part of the narration which begins in the recollection of his World Cup win. It paints a picture of recovery and optimism. 

 

Similarly Lance Armstrong, another celebrity sportsman, wrote It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back To Life, to tell a story of resilience.

 

 

Conclusion

 

If you want to delve deeper into fascinating topics and courses, sign up for the online MA in English at JAIN Online. Our comprehensive program offers a rich curriculum that covers diverse areas such as literature, linguistics, cultural studies, and critical theory, all designed to enhance your analytical and interpretive skills. With the flexibility of online learning, you can engage with expert faculty and a vibrant community of peers from the comfort of your home. Explore the depth and breadth of the English language and its literary traditions with us. Join JAIN Online today and elevate your academic journey.