Sickness Work

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 1-7

3. Disruption

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 9-20

4. Incantation

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 21-31

5. Collective Disruption

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 33-41

6. Sickness Work

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 43-66

7. Control

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 67-79

8. The Outside World

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 81-99

9. Legitimation

   • Gerhard Nijhof

   Pages 101-111

10. Epilogue

    • Gerhard Nijhof

    Pages 113-116

11. Back Matter

    Pages 117-124

    PDF

This is the story of a professor of Medical Sociology, diagnosed with colon cancer. He undergoes the appropriate medical treatment. Passing through that trajectory, he realizes that things happen that he never read about in the professional literature. During his illness and rehabilitation he scribbles down notes about what is happening to him, what he is observing and what things do not tally with his knowledge of the sociological literature. This continuous connection of personal experience with academic literature is what makes this book such a powerful account of the ‘everyday’ life of a sick person.

Recommended to teachers and students in the field of social health research; to everyone who works in health care, professionals as well as volunteers; and to men and women who themselves are experiencing a serious illness.

• Coping
• Rehabilitation
• Cancer
• Caregiving
• Dying

“This book is a mixture of illness experiences, opinions (especially about medical sociologists), thoughts, evaluations, and self-reflections. These mixed voices allow Nijhof to shed new light on living with serious and mortal illness.” (Peter Conrad, Professor of Sociology Emeritus, Brandeis University, USA)

“Nijhof’s insights on patients’ loss of everyday innocence, the security of hospital treatment, the alteration of the body in illness, the challenges of night time for patients, the shrinking of social networks, all show the value of bringing a sociological perspective to patient experience. His normalizing of the experience is the greatest vindication of Sickness Work.” (Steven M. Albert, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA)

• University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  Gerhard Nijhof

Gerhard Nijhof is emeritus professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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