5 May, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
As medicine evolves, or rather reveals, nuances that speak of an inherent interdisciplinary nature, how are we to recognise and become accustomed with voices other than the language of textbooks; the sounds of monitors and machines; and the neutral tone of the doctor to patient dialogue?
What happens when the patient hears God?
26 Mar, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
Second Annual Western Michigan University Medical Humanities Conference
September 27-28, 2012; Kalamazoo, Michigan
Proposals should be submitted electronically by July 15—in either .doc/.docx or .pdf format—to
medical-humanities@wmich.edu
21 Mar, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
‘The Sublime Object of Psychiatry’ studies representations of schizophrenia, and acknowledges a wide range of disciplines, including biological and phenomenological psychiatry, psychoanalysis, critical psychology, anti-psychiatry, and postmodern philosophy. Such an analysis permits a privileged view of the way in which schizophrenia has been framed within different discourses.
18 Mar, 12 | by James Poskett
Me, me, me. What could be more antisocial than a preoccupation with one’s own life at the expense of others? The Greek myth of Narcissus perhaps captured it best. The proud young hunter, uninterested in the affections of others, found satisfaction in his own reflection. Consumed by self-love and unable to leave his mirror image, Narcissus’s obsession led to his eventual death. Carvaggio’s painting of this, the original narcissist, is in fact featured on the latest edition of Medical Humanities in which Alessia Pannese’s article alludes to a possible neurological cause.
But is narcissism really such an antisocial tendency? I was recently lucky enough to attend a talk by Julie Walsh at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, which radically challenged my assumptions. more…
14 Mar, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
The third international interdisciplinary conference* on comics and
medicine will continue to explore the intersection of sequential
visual arts and medicine. This year we will highlight perspectives
that are often under-represented in graphic narratives, such as
depictions of the Outsider or Other in the context of issues such as
barriers to healthcare, the stigma of mental illness and disability,
and the silent burden of caretaking.
21 Feb, 12 | by James Poskett
You’re on board a small British merchant ship in the English Channel and you start to feel very ill. There’s no doctor on board. What do you do? If the year is 1844, you’re in luck. The Government has recently made it compulsory for all merchant vessels to carry medicines, to be kept in a small wooden chest. So open up, take a swig of the laudanum, and relax.
But before you drift off into an opiate-induced stupor, take a moment to consider the history of how a very particular set of drugs ended up on every British merchant ship. It’s a topic that started to interest me as I stumbled upon a collection of tiny pamphlets, each designed to be slipped inside one of the drawers of the ship’s medicine chest. With titles such as The Guide-Book to the Government Medicine Chest, they list the medicines to be taken aboard along with directions for use. Well before anything resembling the National Health Service, let alone the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, we have a government mandate to stock certain medicines. So, these chests, along with the accompanying pamphlets, provide a fantastic opportunity to study the early history of public health and the regulation of drugs.
13 Feb, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
Activating Theatre: people participating, performing politics
A practice-based symposium examining how theatre and performance work to change people and society
Tuesday 6 March 2012, Stage@leeds Building, University of Leeds
12 Feb, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
It is not so often in our contemporary clinical environment that the passages of the soul find quiet refuge. What we believe (with)in has been overturned by what we can know, as if knowing brings meaning. We know that we shall die but it does not tell us what our death will mean.
9 Feb, 12 | by Ayesha Ahmad
The next Centre for Humanities and Health seminar will take place on 7th March, 6pm in K0.31 (the Small Committee Room on the Strand Campus)
Dr Sam Alberti of the Royal College of Surgeons of England will present a talk entitled ‘The past, present and future of medical museums’
All are welcome and there is no need to RSVP.
26 Dec, 11 | by James Poskett
Narrative is a hot topic in the medical humanities. It can also be bewildering. Over the years literary theory has helped to bring the relevance of patient’s stories to the forefront of medical practice. But, as Johanna Shapiro notes in her recent paper Illness narratives, critical approaches to such stories have also complicated the practical matter of listening and talking to patients.
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