In the kingdom of the sick : a social history of chronic illness in America

Edwards, Laurie (Laurie Elizabeth) (Author).

Summary: "More than 133 million Americans now live with chronic illness, accounting for nearly three quarters of all health care dollars and untold pain, disability, and heartbreak. Patients with diseases as varied as HIV, cancer, or type 2 diabetes have been stigmatized, accused of causing their illnesses through their lifestyle choices. people with irritable bowel syndrome and female patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have been told their symptoms were due to anxiety; and millions of people with chronic pain have faced skepticism from physicians and public alike."--Back cover.

Record details

ISBN: 9781620406281
ISBN: 1620406284
Physical Description: print
243 pages ; 21 cm
Edition: Paperback edition.
Publisher: New York : Bloomsbury, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-235) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

From Plato to polio: chronic disease in historical content -- An awakening: medicine and illness in Post-World War Two America -- Disability rights, civil rights, and chronic illness -- The women's health movement and patient empowerment -- Culture, consumerism, and character: chronic illness and patient advocacy in the 1980s and 1990s -- A slight hysterical tendency: revisiting "the girl who cried pain" -- Into the fray: patients in the digital age -- Participatory medicine and transparency -- What future, at what cost?