"The Language of Illness bills itself as a treatise on language in medicine, health, illness, and the examining room. As a practising physician who has also written about the doctor-patient relationship, I think it succeeds beautifully, including a shrewd and literate selection of citations. But it succeeds beyond that calling, offering insightful and subtle commentary on health and medicine, on what it means to be a doctor and what it means to be sick. I recognised myself, and my patients during forty years of practice, on every page. Highly recommended to people on both ends of the stethoscope, and to everyone close to them."
—Susan Levenstein, MD, author of “Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome”
"Fergus Shanahan draws from many wells for this fascinating and beautifully written book. It is peppered with references to literary and artistic works as well as examples from his own experience. He explores the changing nature of the doctor-patient conversation, which has been shrinking in time and is often accompanied by the computer screen; the trust that language can build or destroy; and the value of 'chit chat' that can uncover details important for clinical diagnosis, for the patient’s quality of life, or both. In a timely chapter on the language of plagues and pandemics, Shanahan reflects on the new 'corona-speak' such as 'social distancing' and 'flattening the curve'. . . . He borrows from the singer Madonna to state that we live in a microbial world (as well as a material one)."
––Dr Claire O'Connell, Irish Times, "Science Books to Peruse This Pandemic Winter"
“A fascinating and sensitive exploration of the difference between the ‘illness language’ characteristic of a patient’s subjective awareness of their illness, suffering and fear, and the medical practitioner’s objective consideration of their disease. I recommend it strongly, not just to front-line medical personnel, but also to the rest of us who are, or will, sooner or later, be ill.”
––Patrick Masterson, Emeritus Professor, University College Dublin
“There could be no better time to publish a book exploring how we talk about disease and illness. . . . In a thought-provoking and engaging book, pitched at ‘anyone who cares about caring’, Shanahan has drawn on his experience as a physician and father to a seriously ill son. He combines a rich selection of literature . . . to reflect on how the language we use shapes doctor-patient interactions [and] patient and carer experiences. . . . a sweeping tour de force.”
––Dr Deirdre Bennett, Head of the Medical Education Unit in University College Cork
"A scholarly yet accessible dissection of the toxic influence of language on medical care, this book should be mandatory reading for all healthcare professionals, and also for all patients and future patients."
––Liam Farrell, medical journalist, former GP and author of Are You the F**king Doctor?
“a ‘must read’ for all medical students and doctors in training, and for medical educators. Professor Shanahan discusses, in a warm, insightful and humorous manner, the particularly challenging topic of how and why doctors, health-service managers and policymakers continue to communicate poorly with patients [and] offers invaluable, realistic and practical solutions as to how we can adapt the language that we use to improve our ‘conversation time’ with patients.”
––Prof. Deirdre McGrath, Head of School, School of Medicine, University of Limerick
“Absolutely delightful . . . . Elegant, wears its considerable learning lightly . . . and [constitutes] a classic addition to the literature.”
––Prof. Desmond O’Neill is Director of the National Office for Traffic Medicine
“In his excellent book . . . Professor Fergus Shanahan provides an important explanation for the frequent failure of generally well-intentioned medics to provide a better caring experience for their patients. . . . Beyond the carefully and elegantly constructed arguments, it provides a wonderful anthology of writing about life, health, dying and caring. . . . It should be on the mandatory reading list for students of medicine, nursing and all caring professions, and will be of enormous interest to patients and their family members.”
––Professor John Crown is consultant medical oncologist at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Dublin. He served in Seanad Éireann from 2011 to 2016.
“The Language of Illness is one of the most worthwhile books I've seen in medicine. It is wise, bright, witty, and brimming with insights – and is the antithesis of what the author rightly describes as the ‘banal teaching of communication’. It will make you a better clinician and a better human. Read it early in your career and every few years afterwards. The epilogue, and its matching discussion earlier – not to mention the brief appearance by Madonna – is worth the price of admission on its own.’
––John Sotos, MD, author of The Physical Lincoln
"This book is a treasure, compulsory and compulsive reading for everyone in the caring way – and isn’t that all of us? Caring, or being cared for. Doctor Shanahan, with precision, humour and concern, examines 'the words that turn people into patients . . . healing words, hurting words'. He demonstrates, with wisdom and learning and humanity, how patient and doctor, speaking the same language, work better together: 'I’ve studied disease and experienced illness; I’m expert enough to be wary of experts', he writes. He uses illustrative quotations from every area of human life, from poets like T. S. Eliot and the great doctor-poet William Carlos Williams, to TV series like Only Fools and Horses. An accessible, inviting book: warm, empathetic and deeply compassionate."
––John F. Deane, a member of Aosdána, is a poet, founder of Poetry Ireland/the National Poetry Society, and The Dedalus Press. His latest collection of poetry is Dear Pilgrims (Carcanet Press).
“an impressive work that cuts through the dross of medical parlance and captures our everyday tragedies with compassion”
––Prof. Garret A. Fitzgerald, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
“It is wonderful to have the issue of language brought into the mainstream by a distinguished Irish
physician, as he explains how well-intentioned medics sometimes fail to provide a better caring
experience for their patients.”
––Dr Muiris Houston, Irish Times
“This book . . . is an exercise in erudition that acquaints the reader with the often over-looked thoughts of medical authors, as well as providing the enlightening perspective on the doctor’s lack of communicative skill as portrayed in the great works of literature. . . . A fascinating
read. . . . A tour de force.”
––Eoin O’Brien, author and clinical scientist
“The literary dimension and finesse of The Language of Illness fit perfectly into the genre of books that we want to develop in our collection.”
––Flore Gurrey, editor at Éditions Les Arènes, Paris
"clear, focused and well written . . . Communication is still one of medicine’s most powerful therapeutic tools. We should use it better. Shanahan tells us why and shows us how."
––Prof Brendan Kelly
"This most literary book dissects the effects of medical language on patients, the language they themselves use, aspects of medical history taking, how facts are presented to the patient, how prognosis is discussed and all pertinent angles of these topics. There is extensive reference to literature, quotations from famous doctors, nuggets from the author's own extensive experience, and so on. The English he uses is exemplary, for its richness and clarity. He discusses how one should deal with patients in difficulty, the language to not use and the words to use instead. Every young doctor and nurse will extract a lot from this. It is ultimately a great book and will leave its mark on them."
––Dr Garry Lee
“an important book for any of us in the health business. A plea for the importance of language, that words matter”
––Sunday Independent Book of the Year, as chosen by Austin Duffy, author of Ten Days