Toward a More Materialistic Medicine: The Value of Authentic Materialism Within Current and Future Medical Practice

Abstract

Modern medicine is often accused by diverse critics of being "too materialistic" and therefore insufficiently holistic and effective. Yet, this critique can be misleading, dependent upon the ambiguous meanings of "materialism." The term can refer to the prevalence of financial concerns in driving medical practice. Alternatively, it can refer to "mechanistic materialism," the patient viewed as a body-machine. In each case, this article shows that this represents not authentic "materialism" at play, but a focus upon high-level abstractions. "Bottom-line" financial or diagnostic numbers can distract practitioners from the embodied needs of sick patients. In this sense, medical practice is not materialist enough. Through a series of clinical examples, this article explores how an authentic materialism would look in current and future practice. The article examines the use of prayer/comfort shawls at the bedside; hospitals and nursing homes redesigned as enriched healing environments; and a paradigmatic medical device--the implantable cardioverter defibrillator--as it might be presented to patients, in contrast to current practice.

Sustaining cyborgs: Sensing and tuning agencies of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators

“…What happens to the hybrids who have lived among us for several decades already, bodies kept alive and active by internal devices that regulate their heart rhythm such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs)? 1 Despite the almost worldwide presence of these hybrids – perhaps some of whom are reading this article – there have been surprisingly few examinations of these heart cyborgs in Science and Technology Studies (STS) (for notable exceptions see Andersen et al, 2011; Bjorn and Markussen, 2013; Kaufman and Fjord, 2011; Kaufman et al, 2011; Leder and Krucoff, 2011; Pollock, 2008). This tendency to neglect the mundane is not restricted to heart devices but also includes internal devices such as knee and hip implants, although some work has been done on prosthetic limbs (Dalibert, 2014; Nelson, 2001; Sobchack, 2006).…”

“… 9. Again, there are a few notable exceptions. See Andersen et al (2011), Bjorn and Markussen (2013), Kaufman and Fjord (2011), Kaufman et al (2011), Leder and Krucoff (2011) and Pollock (2008). …”

The Vulnerability of Cyborgs

“…(Interview ICD patient 4) This story is told by many patients. The shocks signify traumatic reminders of the fragility of life (Pollock 2008;Leder and Krucoff 2011). Or, as Anne Pollock described it: ''death for the ICD patient does not wait silently; it is foreshadowed with every shock'' (2008,98).…”

“Take Your Pill”: The Role and Fantasy of Pills in Modern Medicine

“…The materiality of the pill (and the act of ingesting it) seems minimal, marginal, as if almost on the verge of disappearance. 24 Many studies have addressed how material characteristics unleash the placebo effect-how a blue pill may induce sleep better than a red pill, or an inert pill with brand markings has more analgesic effect than one without. 25 The pill's material presence-its color, shape, size, and cost-is a repository for projected meanings, as is the pill's name, carefully selected for its phonemes and verbal associations.…”

“…Instead of remaining in its mass-produced plastic bottle or pill-organizer, pills might, for example, be placed in a special box residing on a sacred altar, and taken with ceremony. 24 Such practices recontextualize the pill as a multidimensional gift. Might this provide a more holistic or ''natural'' way to further enhance the ''meaning response'' and thereby the therapeutic efficacy of the drug?…”