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The Meaning of Symptoms: A Cultural Hermeneutic Model for Clinical Practice

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The Relevance of Social Science for Medicine

Part of the book series: Culture, Illness, and Healing ((CIHE,volume 1))

Abstract

Any good doctor knows … that the patient’s complaint is more extensive than his symptom, and the state of sickness more comprehensive than localized pain or dysfunction. As an old Jew put it (and old Jews have a way of speaking for the victims of all nations): “Doctor, my bowels are sluggish, my feet hurt, my heart jumps — and you know, Doctor, I myself don’t feel so well either.” (Erikson 1964:51)

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Authors
  1. Byron J. Good
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  2. Mary-Jo Delvecchio Good
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

    Leon Eisenberg

  2. School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

    Arthur Kleinman

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© 1981 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland

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Good, B.J., Good, MJ.D. (1981). The Meaning of Symptoms: A Cultural Hermeneutic Model for Clinical Practice. In: Eisenberg, L., Kleinman, A. (eds) The Relevance of Social Science for Medicine. Culture, Illness, and Healing, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8379-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8379-3_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-277-1185-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-8379-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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