Article Summary by Abir Hamdar What is the relationship between disability and Islamic fundamentalism? To answer this question, this essay explores the representation of disability in postcolonial Arab fiction about Islamic fundamentalism and in particular, the significance of the prosthesis: an artificial device that substitutes for a missing part of the body. As the essay […]
Latest articles
Gender, Race and Class at Work: Enlisting African Health Labour into the Gold Coast Medical Service, 1860–1957
Article Summary by Lucky Tomdi This article is part of an ongoing project that examines the historical roles and experiences of African health workers in Ghana during the late 19th and 20th centuries. It examines how gender, race, and class shaped the participation of Africans in colonial and Christian missionary biomedical services from 1860 to […]
(Post)confessional Mode and Psychological Surveillance in The Crown and Fleabag
Article Summary by Sarah Hagaman Two fictional therapy sessions are at the heart of my article, “(Post)confessional Mode and Psychological Surveillance in The Crown and Fleabag.” In Season 4 of The Crown, Princess Margaret—the Queen’s younger sister—discovers she may suffer from a hereditary mental illness. The second, Season 2 of Fleabag shows a short, bizarre […]
Authority and Medical Expertise: Arthur Conan Doyle in The Idler
Article Summary by Anne Chapman Arthur Conan Doyle’s medical and writing careers intertwined (highlighted most recently by the current BBC programme Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle) and his work has a history of being read in the light of his medical expertise. He wrote at a time when the professionalisation […]
“It Is Difficult For Us To Treat Their Pain”. Health Professionals’ Perceptions of Somali Pastoralists in the Context of Pain Management: A Conceptual Model
Article Summary by Elenore Baum Pain relief in Sub-Saharan Africa is a major public health concern, particularly for marginalized populations such as pastoralists. Their seasonal mobility and remote lifestyle with limited access to health services contribute to their vulnerability towards poorer health outcomes, including pain. To improve pastoralists’ access to pain treatment in biomedical health […]
Transparent Boundaries as Scenographies of Trust: The COVID-19 Pandemic from the View of Material Cultural Studies and Artistic Works
Article Summary by Monika Ankele and Céline Kaiser From the start, the profound transformations that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic found expression in a plethora of objects and facilities that dominated our daily lives far beyond the clinical sphere. Supermarkets, hotel receptions, taxis, restaurants, doctors’ surgeries and even schools were equipped with plexiglass screens of all […]
The Story Behind Kaleidoscopic Minds: An Anthology of Poetry by Neurodivergent Women
Blog by Dr. Catherine Bell, GP and coeditor of Kaleidoscopic Minds Kaleidoscopic Minds is an anthology of poetry written by neurodivergent women. The poets featured in this collection belong to a generation of late-diagnosed, undiagnosed and misdiagnosed women with lived experience of ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, OCD, and tics. The editors believe that poetry is […]
What Makes a ‘Good Doctor’? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Perspectives from Medical Students with Lived Experience as Patients
Article Summary by Erene Stergiopoulos and Maria Athina (Tina) Martimianakis What counts a ‘good doctor’ depends on who we ask. Research has shown that patients prioritise communication and empathy, while doctors emphasise medical expertise, and medical students describe a combination of the two. This study explored the concepts of the ‘good doctor’ held by medical […]
Stories of the Futures You Didn’t See Coming: Scenario Planning, Healthcare, and the Humanities
Blog by Matt Finch Though it’s just a trick of the calendar, as the new year begins our thoughts inevitably turn to the future. Yet we cannot gather data from events that haven’t happened yet, and forecasts drawing on precedent can flounder when situations are unstable. Under so-called “TUNA” conditions of turbulence, uncertainty, novelty, and […]
You Are Special: The Global Importance of Identifying the Needs of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Blog by Hilde M. Buiting, Ikenna D. Ebuenyi, Phyllis N. Butow and Gabe S. Sonke Ninety-Two Participants from Twenty-Seven Countries in One Meeting In November 2019, ninety-two healthcare professionals, patients and patient advocates from twenty-seven countries from all over the world attended a multidisciplinary workshop to discuss gaps in care and support for patients with […]