ILLNESS AS METAPHOR: Historical use of metaphors in literature, medicine, and politics.

“ILLNESS AS METAPHOR” by Susan Sontag is a sharp, thought-provoking essay that dismantles the cultural beliefs surrounding diseases like tuberculosis and cancer. With clear, incisive prose, Sontag reveals how metaphors linked to illness—as punishment, weakness, or emotional failure—not only misinform but also stigmatize patients and make treatment more difficult.

Written while the author herself was undergoing cancer treatment (though she never mentions it in the text), the book delivers a piercing critique of how language shapes our perception of the body, health, and suffering. Sontag traces the historical use of these metaphors in literature, medicine, and political discourse, exposing how the sick are turned into symbols and burdened with meanings that don’t belong to them.

Originally published in 1978, this book remains essential for understanding the relationship between language, culture, and medicine. More than a critique, it’s a call to think and speak about illness without embellishment, blame, or judgment. A modern classic that continues to inspire readers, healthcare professionals, and thinkers around the world.

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