ABSTRACT

The impressive progress of medical science over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has tended to overshadow the art of caring for the patient and their families. This book aims to restore the balance by examining practical ways in which the arts can help health professionals to understand the experience of suffering and illness. Written by a family physician with 25 years experience, Humanity in Healthcare offers a broad perspective on the potential contribution of the arts toward fostering a humane approach to the care of those who are ill or suffering. It refers to a wide range of literature from prose and poetry, sociology, history, philosophy, politics, religion and spirituality. This book is an invaluable resource for all medical and healthcare professionals as well as students of the medical humanities.

part One|50 pages

Health and humanities

chapter 1|16 pages

The philosophy of healthcare

chapter 2|12 pages

The art of seeing

chapter 3|20 pages

The politics of health

part Two|100 pages

Suffering: the heart of medicine

chapter 4|18 pages

Suffering and spirituality

chapter 5|16 pages

The illness experience in literature

chapter 7|16 pages

Mental illness and the poetry of despair

chapter 8|16 pages

Narratives of abuse

chapter 9|14 pages

Dances with death

part Three|92 pages

Healing: the soul of healthcare

chapter 10|14 pages

The history of healing

chapter 11|22 pages

The dynamics of healing

chapter 12|12 pages

Uncertainty, bewilderment and mystery

chapter 13|14 pages

Compassion

chapter 14|18 pages

Professional fulfilment

chapter 15|10 pages

Professional virtue