Health and Medical Sociology

Biography

Biography: Cleto Corposanto

Abstract

Theoretical reflections and empirical investigations in medical sociology and anthropology have had a great boost from the famous triad due to Twaddle. The 3-dimensions model Disease, Illness, Sickness is very useful in many situations in which researchers want to analyse the lack of well-being of all the possible points of view. Using Twaddle’s definitions, “Disease is a health problem that consists of a malfunction that results in an actual or potential reduction in physical capacities and/or a reduced life expectancy, Illness is a subjectively interpreted undesirable state of health. It consists of subjective feeling states (e.g. pain, weakness), perceptions of the adequacy of their bodily functioning, and/or feeling of competence” (Twaddle 1994:8); and “whenever a person is defined as having a disease or illness by others, we can talk about sickness, the social level as ‘unwell’. Irrespective of the reality on the basis for the claim, to be defined as sick is to have certain rights and obligations not shared by others” (Twaddle 1978:18). Nevertheless the Triad seems to be inadequate analysing the global harm of some particular categories of diseases (i.e. alimentary intolerances). Analysing life and illness histories of patients with celiac disease, what emerge in our research is the awareness of a social harm very important (and in many situations much stronger than biological damage), due to the lack of relational and social capital. For this reason we think that, in some research situations, it can be useful the integration of the originally Triad of Twaddle (already reviewed by Maturo (2007) through the P-model that introduces the Sickscape) with a new dimension that lead to a new Esa-model in which we can introduce the new concept of Sonetness (a kind of loss of social networks). Esa-model seems to be suitable for copying from a theoretical point of view the whole range of health problems, including alimentary intolerances that are in great growth all over the world.