The body in multiple sclerosis

a patient's perspective

Toombs

pp. 127-137

in: Drew Leder (ed), The body in medical thought and practice, Berlin, Springer, 1992

Abstract

The experience of illness means much more to the person who is ill than simply a collection of physical signs which define a particular disease state. Illness represents a distinct way of being in the world — a way of being which is characterized not simply by bodily dysfunction but by a concurrent disruption of self and the surrounding world [11]. This global sense of disorder is precipitated by a radical transformation in the relation between body and self. In health the body is, for the most part, taken for granted and ignored. Only occasionally do we pay explicit attention to our physical capacities, and then only in a fleeting manner. Normally we act in the world through the medium of our bodies in a largely unreflective fashion. We see, hear, speak, and move unthinkingly as we go about our business, simply accepting the cohesion of body and self. Illness disturbs this body/self unity. The malfunctioning body intrudes itself into our everyday existence, becoming the focal point and object of attention. In particular, the body presents itself as an oppositional force which curtails activities, thwarts plans and projects, and disrupts our involvements with the surrounding world. In various and varied ways the body is experienced as essentially alien, as that which is Other-than-me.