A history of medicine for patient: patient subjectivity and the change of historiography of medicine

Abstract

Abstract Patient’s voice has become louder in recent years. It is a statement of illness, disability, near-death experience, and a cry from the weak, which reveals rich and multiple aspects of patient's physical diseases and mental pain. The groans of patients should not only be treated as reference for decision-making in clinical diagnosis and treatment, but need to be marked down as a voice of the weak in the history of medicine. However, the reality is this voice often stays as physician’s medical records than writings in history of medicine. The mainstream of medical history focuses on how doctors cure diseases, while ignores the role of patients. At times in history of medicine, it was patient’s illness challenged traditional medical theories, provided new perspectives to diagnosis and treatment, and corrected mistakes and prejudice of physicians. Yet, patients benefited very little in the process. Although a few patients miraculously recovered, more became experimental subjects and victims of medicine (Perino L. Patients Zéro: Histoires inversées de la médecine (Chinese edition). France: La Découverte; 2020). Tracing the change of the understanding on patient subjectivity in history of medicine, this paper aims to call for a rise of history of medicine centered on patients.