I’ve never been so ill that I’ve needed hospitalization. I’ve gone as far as breaking both my ankles (on separate occasions) but so far my health has been pretty good despite the occasional cold -which is unavoidable despite how many vitamin C tablets you take. It seems illness is one of the few guarantees about living in a society in which you are forced to come in contact with large amounts of people whether it be at school, transit or work.

At some point in your life you will become ill, and how you react to your illness can be a reflection of multiple aspects of society.  For instance, buying cold medication and staying home from work or school to rest is a pretty regular response to catching a cold. Yet, depending on a persons economic situation this experience of rest and medication might not be an option. Thus, in a way two people with the same illness might have completely opposite experiences. As a reflection on society how  many sick days  a person takes can be an indication of the well being of a population.  As Brown notes in ‘Naming and Framing: The Social Construction of Diagnosis and Illness’ how we experience illness in turn defines it. Yet, this approach of looking at the societal construction of illness seems to complicate the approach of diagnosing and in turn curing . Namely, what role, if any, do doctors need to adopt to become all encompassing to the needs of their patients?