Sick and Tired: An Intimate History of Fatigue (Studies in Social Medicine)

Abel, Emily K.

ISBN 10: 1469663341 / ISBN 13: 9781469663340

Published by The University of North Carolina Press, 2021

About this Item

The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact, including the dust jacket if originally issued. The spine may show light wear. Pages may contain some notes or highlighting, and there might be a "From the library of" label. Boxed set packaging, shrink wrap, or included media like CDs may be missing.

Seller Inventory # BSM.19DQR

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Sick and Tired: An Intimate History of Fatigue (Studies in Social Medicine)
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1469663341
• ISBN 13: 9781469663340
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

Medicine finally has discovered fatigue. Recent articles about various diseases conclude that fatigue has been underrecognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Scholars in the social sciences and humanities have also ignored the phenomenon. As a result, we know little about what it means to live with this condition, especially given its diverse symptoms and causes. Emily K. Abel offers the first history of fatigue, one that is scrupulously researched but also informed by her own experiences as a cancer survivor. Abel reveals how the limits of medicine and the American cultural emphasis on productivity intersect to stigmatize those with fatigue. Without an agreed-upon approach to confirm the problem through medical diagnosis, it is difficult to convince others that it is real. When fatigue limits our ability to work, our society sees us as burdens or worse.

With her engaging and informative style, Abel gives us a synthetic history of fatigue and elucidates how it has been ignored or misunderstood, not only by medical professionals but also by American society as a whole.

About the Author

Emily K. Abel is professor emerita of public health and women’s studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of several books, including Hearts of Wisdom: American Women Caring for Kin, 1850–1940.