Post-Cure

Narelle Warren, Courtney Addison

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The curative imaginary is a powerful driver of hope and investment in medicine, often displacing attention and resources given to other illness-related fields of practice. Whereas cure implies an end to the sick role and the possibility of an absolute state of health, in practice those fields that are touted as having high curative potential grapple with the ongoing nature and incompleteness of post-cure care. By capturing the public imagination and channelling research and funding in particular directions, the motif of cure risks drawing resources away from other, less seductive forms of treatment, and towards the technological at the expense of the social. Drawing on our research into precision medicine and deep brain stimulation, we track how cure operates as a concept in these fields, and compare this to how medical practitioners actually care for patients. We argue that a critical engagement with post-cure possibilities offers an opportunity to challenge and rethink what constitutes good medical care, as well as the social, political, and economic underpinnings of medical innovation.
Original languageEnglish
Article number691
Pages (from-to)93-108
Number of pages16
JournalMedicine Anthropology Theory
Volume7
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2020

Keywords

  • cure
  • care
  • precision medicine
  • neurodegeneration
  • potentiality

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