The Medical Carnivalesque: Folklore among Physicians

The Medical Carnivalesque explores the relationship between physician suffering and the culture of contemporary medicine, using laughter, travesty, humor, and inversion to address the painful and transgressive aspects of doctoring.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 06 August 2024
Publisher: Indiana University Press

The practice of medicine is deeply intertwined with the profound issues of life, death, and suffering related to the mortal body. As a result, the medical profession serves as a rich tapestry for folklore that addresses these profound topics among physicians. In her groundbreaking work, "The Medical Carnivalesque," Lisa Gabbert explores the unique challenges faced by physicians in their work and how they have given rise to an occupational corpus of folklore, backstage talk, and humor known as the medical carnivalesque. Gabbert contends that suffering is not solely experienced by patients but can also be induced by the organization, practice, and ethos of medicine itself. The Medical Carnivalesque delves into various aspects of physician suffering, including the institutionalized nature of physician suffering, death-related humor and talk, stories about patient bodies, and parodies of medical specialties. Through its exploration, the book reveals how the culture of contemporary medicine employs travesty, humor, and inversion to confront the often painful and transgressive aspects of doctoring. The Medical Carnivalesque establishes a profound connection between patient and physician suffering and laughter, recognizing suffering as an integral part of life, and providing a means for physicians to address the fundamental philosophical and existential issues that they grapple with on a daily basis.

Weight: 352g
Dimension: 228 x 153 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253070234