In reading "How medicine constructs its objects" I was struck by the overall tone of how medicine changes those who study it. It seems strange that even though learning about the human body provides an unique insight into the human condition and a rather intimate understanding of other human beings (by hearing about their lives, their experiences, their weaknesses and illnesses), medical practitioners are isolated through this very understanding. For example, there was some discussion of how physicians find themselves to be a "body amongst bodies" rather than a person amongst persons (page 73). I find it strange that knowledge of and experience with the biological aspects of human existence seem to disconnect doctors from other people rather than bringing them closer.
One question I have is wether or not such isolation is merely a trait of medicine? Is medicine unique in that it is both a biological science and a very humanitarian practice? I rather doubt that the average physicist sees himself as a grouping of atoms amongst atoms when he stands in a crowd. Or maybe he/she does.
My initial takeaway from this article was very similar to Eamon’s reaction in that the idea of medical students being isolated and removed from their patients, was striking. However, the part that stuck out to me was the way medical students learned about and approached doctor-patient communication. Byron Good explained that because doctor-patient communication constituted a relatively small amount of time compared to other aspects of the job (namely diagnostic and presentation roles), first and second year medical students were not very concerned about it (Good 78).
ReplyDeleteInstead, Good highlights two aspects of being a doctor that I definitely did not expect or realize: writing and presenting cases. He explains that students are primarily evaluated based on their ability to present “stories,” or persuasive cases about a diagnosis with supporting evidence (79). Although students may “interview” patients and talk to them about why they are there, how they are feeling, and other non-essential or non-medical information, it is more important to be able to “pick out the important stuff” than it is to have good communication with the patient. In the way Good describes it, stores consist of organizing and interpreting experiences in a constructive way.
The main idea of the piece was to provide a window into the way medical students have to change the way they think en route their highly specialized role as a doctor. Although I have only focused in on one specific way in which students must adjust their way of thinking, the article goes way more in depth about how disease and illness also relate on cultural and social levels. In the broader context of the course, this article explains the road that medical students must travel in order to be the people that sick patients entrust their lives to.