Sickness Work Personal Reflections of a Sociologist
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. Du
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Gerhard Nijhof
Sickness Work
Gerhard Nijhof
Sickness Work Personal Reflections of a Sociologist
Gerhard Nijhof University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Translated by Nancy Forest-Flier
ISBN 978-981-13-0325-8 ISBN 978-981-13-0326-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0326-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018939733 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © nemesis2207/Fotolia.co.uk Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. part of Springer Nature The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore
For Marga, Piotr, and Eva
Foreword
At the end of 1995, Gerhard Nijhof, medical sociologist, was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in an advanced stage. It meant a turning point in his personal and academic life. In early 1996, he was hospitalized for one month, undergoing several difficult operations. He then spent the next twelve months recovering and recuperating at home. During that year, he tried to decipher the notes he had scribbled down while in the hospital, which resulted in the publication in 2001 of a sociologically substantiated autobiographical account of his experiences in the hospital and at home, and what it means to be a seriously ill person. The writing, he remembers, was an integral part of his rehabilitation. This book is a translation and slightly revised version of the Dutch original. Nijhof first studied medicine, but after one year he turned to sociology. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the relationship between social class and mental disturbances in the city of Rotterdam, which was followed by several books and many articles on this topic. More recently he focused
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