The reading talks about how these patients believe that self-love and happiness can only be created through physical appearance. If they like the way they look, then they will feel good because in at least one way they are "perfect". In the excerpt, they state that surgeons "perform operations designed to cure the unhappiness." These patients are willing to put everything in the hands of the surgeons and believe that this will make them better people. This is a real indication of how much pressure is put on physical appearances in our society. The section is titled, A Beautiful Body is a Happy Mind; which also plays into the idea that to be happy you must look perfect.
As for the doctors that perform the operations, they say that they receive pleasure from helping patients. They go as far as to describe the surgeon as an artist and the patients' bodies as the artwork to be molded. This dehumanizes the patients by stripping away the person and replacing it with an object that can be formed and created.
Looking at the other works that we have read, this reading is a little different. In most of the other works, the doctors have performed experiments on unwilling patients for example, Dr. Knox. However, in this case. The doctors have full consent from the patients. This shows how the idea of medicine has changed. Surgery was only performed when absolutely needed, but now it is viewed as just a little thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.