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Introduction: Medical Case Histories as Genre : new approaches

Class, Monika LU orcid (2014) In Literature and medicine 32(1).
Abstract
This article outlines a number of new approaches in the history of medicine and medical humanities to the study of medical case histories from a genre-theoretical vantage point. Differentiating between morphological and structuralist concepts of genre, the essay proposes the investigation of similarities and differences among specific series of case histories in order to recover evolving, changing, or decaying patterns and practices in texts and communicative acts about human health during different historical epochs, including antiquity, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian age. The article highlights the importance of narrative, and thinking in cases, supports the notion of “epistemic genres” and pays special attention to... (More)
This article outlines a number of new approaches in the history of medicine and medical humanities to the study of medical case histories from a genre-theoretical vantage point. Differentiating between morphological and structuralist concepts of genre, the essay proposes the investigation of similarities and differences among specific series of case histories in order to recover evolving, changing, or decaying patterns and practices in texts and communicative acts about human health during different historical epochs, including antiquity, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian age. The article highlights the importance of narrative, and thinking in cases, supports the notion of “epistemic genres” and pays special attention to the distinction between example and exemplar. It discerns three interrelated functions of case histories: propaedeutic, instantiative, and singular. The study of case histories as genre helps to overcome disjunctions in the history of literature and medicine and enhances multidisciplinary research (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Medical History Taking/methods, Medical Records, Medicine in Literature
in
Literature and medicine
volume
32
issue
1
pages
10 pages
publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:25055703
  • scopus:84905446620
ISSN
0278-9671
DOI
10.1353/lm.2014.0007
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
47d93306-d2ba-4957-aa4d-660bfb55a0de
date added to LUP
2022-09-10 12:21:17
date last changed
2024-06-13 14:08:38
@article{47d93306-d2ba-4957-aa4d-660bfb55a0de,
  abstract     = {{This article outlines a number of new approaches in the history of medicine and medical humanities to the study of medical case histories from a genre-theoretical vantage point. Differentiating between morphological and structuralist concepts of genre, the essay proposes the investigation of similarities and differences among specific series of case histories in order to recover evolving, changing, or decaying patterns and practices in texts and communicative acts about human health during different historical epochs, including antiquity, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian age. The article highlights the importance of narrative, and thinking in cases, supports the notion of “epistemic genres” and pays special attention to the distinction between example and exemplar. It discerns three interrelated functions of case histories: propaedeutic, instantiative, and singular. The study of case histories as genre helps to overcome disjunctions in the history of literature and medicine and enhances multidisciplinary research}},
  author       = {{Class, Monika}},
  issn         = {{0278-9671}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Medical History Taking/methods; Medical Records; Medicine in Literature}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Johns Hopkins University Press}},
  series       = {{Literature and medicine}},
  title        = {{Introduction: Medical Case Histories as Genre : new approaches}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lm.2014.0007}},
  doi          = {{10.1353/lm.2014.0007}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}