Abstract
Features and functions of laughter in contemporary hospital, new comic practices in medicine, the phenomenon of Clown Care and figures of “unfunny” and medical clown are researched in the article. Contemporary clinic is not “agelastical space” now. Clown Care is interpreted by the author with a focus on the ideas of V. Propp’ and O. Freudenberg’ about identification of laughter and life in the mythological consciousness and about archaic “fountainhead” laughter as a phenomenon that not only accompanies the transition from death to life but also creates life. Medical clowns, as well as animal totem, king, slave and jester in ancient times, remain the dominant idea of overcoming death by immortal life as fundamental, structural and substantive basis of category of ultimate relations, directly present the principle universal-cultural formula – “generation and affirmation of life – denial of death – the resurrection and immortality”. An explication of the universally-cultural approach proposed A.S. Kiriliuk on the figure of the hospital clown and researching of notions of ultimate bases of new scientific region – medical gelotology, the science of laughter or laughterterapy. Ontological, communicative and protective function of laughter are investigated. The author noted the development of such urgency problems in theoretical terms, and for the practice of the restructuring of social and health sphere in Ukraine. In fact such integrative scientific discipline as a medical gelotologiya formed. It is necessary to give this branch of medicine status such as in physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, thalassotherapy, art therapy. In our opinion, this is problematic integrative perspective for philosophical studies of laughter, experts in the field of social philosophy, medical ethics and philosophical anthropology.
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