When illness goes public
Subtitle: celebrity patients and how we look at medicine
By: Barron H. Lerner
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng
Number of pages: 334
ISBN-13: 9780801884627
Subjects: Diseases; Celebrities; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Famous Persons; Case studies; Public Opinion; Mass Media; Medicine; Case Reports; Biography; Chronic Disease
Description: Steve McQueen had cancer and was keeping it secret. Then the media found out, and soon all of America knew. McQueen's high profile changed forever the way the public perceived a dreaded disease. Public health physician Barron H. Lerner describes the evolution of celebrities' illnesses from private matters to stories of great public interest. Famous people who have become symbols of illness include Lou Gehrig, the first "celebrity patient," and Arthur Ashe, who courageously went public with his AIDS diagnosis before the media could reveal his secret. And then there are private citizens like Barney Clark, the first recipient of a permanent artificial heart. While celebrity illnesses have helped to inform patients about treatment options, ethical controversies, and scientific proof, the stories surrounding these illnesses have also assumed mythical characteristics. This exploration of the intersection of science, journalism, fame, and legend is a groundbreaking contribution to our understanding of health and illness.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The first modern patient : the public death of Lou Gehrig; title: Crazy or just high-strung? : Jimmy Piersall's mental illness; title: Picturing illness : Margaret Bourke-White publicizes Parkinson's disease; title: Politician as patient : John Foster Dulles battles cancer; title: No stone unturned : the fight to save Brian Piccolo's life; title: Persistent patient : Morris Abram as experimental subject; title: Unconventional healing : Steve McQueen's Mexican journey; title: Medicine's blind spots : the delayed diagnosis of Rita Hayworth; title: Hero or victim? : Barney Clark and the technological imperative; title: "You murdered my daughter" : Libby Zion and the reform of medical education; title: Patient activism goes Hollywood : how America fought AIDS; title: The last angry man and woman : Lorenzo Odone's parents fight the medical establishment.