Medical technology has increased rapidly in the past few decades and it is now a challenge for the human beings to understand and evaluate it realistically. Medicalization is to understand and treat a medical problem or a disorder, and it follows a theory that some miracles happen because of the medicine. Elizabeth Grosz in her article “Intolerable Ambiguity: Freaks as/at the Limit” refers Siamese twins as freaks who are sufferers of social ostracism. Medicalization is clearly depicted in the article with an example of Siamese twins, who were examined by various doctors to separate them, and finally they decided not to separate them because of the complexities.
A similar case of separation on the Siamese twin sisters Laleh and Ladan Bijani, aged 29 years was done in 2003 in Singapore after the individual’s consent to lead distinct lives. For centuries, children with far fewer disabilities than those confronting the Bijani twins were seen as freaks, and were hidden in attics, exhibited in shows and excluded from normal social events (Smith, 2012). The conjoined twins could either be separated using the latest medical technology, or be isolated from the society. This kind of disorder must be considered on an individual basis as they have two separate bodies but one organ in common and they would have different personalities, thoughts and preferences. Laleh wanted to pursue journalism and Ladan wanted to pursue law. The hospital tried to dispose of social problems associated with the disorder by medicalization. Heyes informs that a televisual makeover builds on self-transformation that leads to forming a true identity, increases social mobility by physical transformations (Bodies in Production Reproducing Bodies cont, June 11 2013). The twins underwent seven months of rigorous medical testing before the surgery and later the hospital afforded the complete operation cost due to their poor financial condition.
Medicalization is not a neutral process or a chronological examination as it is considered as a psychiatric information. It is carelessly linked by the people who are informed initially about a particular subject. Some of the behaviors or habits like drug abuse, simulated disorders, and sexuality were never treated as medical problems earlier but currently they are being diagnosed as diseases. Medicalization considers disability as a biological problem that needs a biomedical solution. Medicalization also raises many social concerns by the disordered people. If any person who has a disorder behaves in an unacceptable manner in society then people sympathize with them rather than punishing them. The social and the environmental obstacles play a vital role for the disabled or disordered people. People with disorder and disability were considered freaks, well known for entertaining people; however with the advent of medicalization of disability, there was a decline on freak shows. This freak shows contained a white woman born without arms, and conjoined twins named as Hilton sisters who displayed their freakishness. During the freak show days, disability was considered as a person problem, curable and/or treatable by the medical establishments (Clare, 1999, p. 81). Freaks in the society are the people such as Siamese twins, or the ones who are not unusually gifted or disadvantaged or sickening people. Doctors believe that such disorders and disabilities are inferior and these problems can be solved.
Media plays an important role in medicalization depending on a significant case or a medical problem. The mass media such as television are very quick in covering natural disasters such as floods, and earthquakes, politics and glamour world; but they are least interested in paying attention to the slow-onset issues such as physical disorder and disability. Even in the case of Bijani sisters there was much media attention before the surgery. Advertising in Media is just an extension according to Williams in which people or objects can be re-imagined beyond their existing condition (Advertising and the Public Sphere, June 18 2013). Media and publicity can create magic as they can reveal the primary dominant relations in the society. During the freak shows media played an important role in displaying the shows done by the disabled and the disordered people that made the U.S government to support the disabled people and fight against their colonizers and civil rights. It is a fact that media support inspires media coverage to reframe public debate that in turn increases support for more operative policies. The news print media reaches millions of people on a daily basis and people are aware of the medicalization provided to the freaks.
Performing a surgery on Siamese twins is a bigger challenge for the doctors and the patients who undergo such surgeries. In the case of Bijani sisters it was the willingness of the twins to be separated and the Raffles Medical Group took the decision to operate on them so that Singapore could be recognized as a medical hub, and the doctors who operate would be known for their medical expertise. In case of the Siamese twins Chang and Eng, they never wanted to be separated and used to cry on hearing that they would be separated. In case the surgery is successful the hospital and the doctors would be world renowned and this can add value not only to the doctors but also to the country in which the twins get operated. It is significant that today the lives of conjoined twins are considered tragic if the operation to separate them is not feasible (Grosz, 1999, p.62). The hospital took the complete responsibility and took the case to court for it to resolve on the rights of parents to decide on the sufferings the parents and their children would have to undergo.
Medicalization is a continuous psychiatry that is always criticized for being beyond the reach of the common human being. The pros that can be considered for medicalization are that it is easy to learn about new medicines, promotes good ethics in the medical practitioners, medicalization can decrease the blame in an individual, people with other medicalization requirements for drug abuse, alcoholism and eating disorders can know before treatment as to what medicalization they require, and allows the doctors to provide interdisciplinary treatment. The cons are that there can be unusual variations in the treatment that can cause stress and depression in the patient if the treatment is not diagnosed correctly. The medicines in medicalization are recommended by the doctors and it gives things legitimacy and respectability. A medical need is not obvious and it can differ in various societies that can change in course of time. In case of the Bijani sisters the doctors went ahead with the surgery as they wanted them to lead a normal life just like other human beings because as described earlier they could either isolate themselves from the society or live a separated life. It can be concluded that medicalization reduces stigma and allows individuals to accomplish better in society.
Works Cited
Heyes, Cressida J. Cosmetic Surgery and The Televisual Makeover: A Foucauldian feminist
Reading, Feminist Media Studies, Vol 7, No 1 (2007). Print.
Heyes, Cressida. Ringrose, Jessica. Walkerdine, Valierie. Bodies in Production: the makeover. Retrieved from 08_-_Bodies_in_Production_Reproducing_Bodies_cont_June_11_2013.ppt
Williams, Raymond. Klein, Naomi, Advertising and the Public Sphere. Retrieved from 10_-_Advertising_and_the_Public_Sphere_June_18_2013.ppt.
Smith, Jackie., Conjoined twins a lesson for us all. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2012/04/23/conjoined_twins_a_lesson_for_us_all.html
