A breath of fresh air: Images of respiratory illness in novels, poems, films, music, and paintings

Abstract

The nature and severity of respiratory disease are typically expressed with biomedical measures such as pulmonary function, X-rays, blood tests, and other physiological characteristics. The impact of respiratory illness on the sufferer, however, is reflected in the stories patients tell: to themselves, their social environment, and their health care providers. Behavioral research often applies standardized questionnaires to assess this subjective impact. Additional approaches to sampling patients' experience of respiratory illness may, however, provide important and clinically useful information that is not captured by other methods. Herein, we assert that novels, poems, movies, music, and paintings may represent a rich, experiential understanding of the patient's point of view of asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, and tuberculosis. Examination of these works illustrates the broad range and major impact of respiratory illness on patients' quality of life. We suggest that examining how illness is represented in various art forms may help patients, their social environment, and their health care providers in coping with the illness and in humanizing medical care. Medical students' clinical skills may benefit when illness experiences as expressed in art are incorporated in the medical curriculum. More generally, Narrative Health Psychology, Narrative Medicine, and Medical Humanities deserve more attention in education, training, and clinical care of (respiratory) physicians, medical students, and other health care professionals.

Start making sense: Art informing health psychology

“…All are active in the area and publish in the field of ‘literature and medicine’ and ‘medical humanities’ (e.g. Kaptein et al, 2015 ; Murray, 2000 ; Murray and Gray, 2008 ; Sesker et al, 2016 ; Smyth et al, 1999 ).…”

Hollywood raising awareness of smoking-related diseases: can it proactively counteract the impact of smoking in movies?—the final mission of Star Trek’s Mr Spock

“…Similarly, searches on lung cancer+movies or cardiovascular disease+movies returned few relevant hits. 10 The searches were independently re-performed by the second author (AGK) (on 24 April 2016). No studies specifically reported on the effects of smoking-related disease education or awareness in mainstream TV series or movies on tobacco control.…”

Mainstreaming medical humanities in continuing professional development and postgraduate training

“…34,35 Similarly, the arts can be used to illuminate the experience of the person who is ill (sometimes literally giving a non-verbal client a language through which to express themselves) and support clinicians in expressing or reflecting on their own experiences. The broad range of films and novels on health themes attests to the power of the arts as a means of reflection on what it is to be human and to be ill. 36,37 The processes for ensuring congruence between arts and health and clinical care and environments is as yet relatively unformed but ideally should seek to better understand the arts, culture and leisure engagement of patients: helpful guidance on curatorship in arts and health is emerging. 32,38 Examples of such work through engagement of doctors, nurses and patients with an arts director and range of artists in Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin include a triptych of new compositions by composer Ian Wilson, reflecting on the major illnesses of older age; a mental health film festival where each film was followed by discussion facilitated by a psychiatrist and a film maker; a mural project in the paediatric unit and a hospital workplace choir for staff.…”