Thinking with metaphors in medicine : the state of the art

Bibliographic Information

Thinking with metaphors in medicine : the state of the art

Alan Bleakley

(Routledge Advances in the medical humanities)

Routledge, 2017

  • : pbk

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

While medical language is soaked in metaphor, and thinking with metaphor is central to diagnostic work, medicine - that is, medical culture, clinical practice and medical education - outwardly rejects metaphor for objective, literal scientific language. This thought-provoking book argues that this is a misstep, and critically considers what embracing the use of metaphors and similes might mean for shaping medical culture, and especially the doctor-patient relationship, in a healthy way. Thinking With Metaphors in Medicine explores: how metaphors inhabit medicine - sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse - and how these metaphors can be revealed, appreciated and understood; how diagnostic work utilizes thinking with metaphors; how patient-doctor communication can be better understood and enhanced as a metaphorical exchange; how the landscape of medicine is historically shaped by leading or didactic metaphors, such as 'the body as machine' and 'medicine as war', which may conflict with other values or perspectives on healthcare, for instance, person-centred care. Outlining the kinds of metaphors and resemblances that inhabit medicine and how they shape practices and identities of doctors, colleagues and patients, this book demonstrates how the landscape of medicine may be reshaped through metaphor shift. It is an important work for all those interested in the use of language and rhetoric in medicine, whether hailing from a humanities, social science or healthcare background.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. The Recovery of Metaphor in Medicine 2. Metaphors Make a Comeback 3. What Do We Know about Metaphors in Medicine and What Are The Consequences of Resisting Metaphor? 4. Medicine as War and Other Didactic Metaphors 5. Medical Metaphors as Resemblances: 'Food for Thought' 6. Metaphors in Psychiatry 7. Aphorisms: Pocket-sized Medicine 8. Conclusions and Future Directions

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Details

  • NCID
    BC18326990
  • ISBN
    • 9780367224394
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    London
  • Pages/Volumes
    xviii, 250 p.
  • Size
    24 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
  • Parent Bibliography ID
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