The Ward as a Scene

Abstract

There are several reasons why the hospital ward can be seen as a stage in a theatre. Everything works around the doctor/patient relationship and this dialogue has intense connotations because the issues addressed are strong: suffering, pain, death, but also joy and hope. Although this dialogue is dominated by the doctor, and is therefore unequal, the dependence is mutual, as demonstrated by Hegel in the relationship between the servant and the lord described by him: Hegel wants to demonstrate the strength of recognition and the relationship between two men demonstrating the most obvious inequality, as can be seen in the comparison between the lord and the servant. Here the dependence on the relationship emerges even with the stronger of the two. It is important to say that the crystallisation of these roles favours their naturalisation.

The ward is also a theatre because rituals are performed on a daily basis, the first of which is the ward rounds, which take place every morning. A hypothetical observer of Sirius would think of a collective ritual, and more precisely a ritual of a hierarchical power in the hierarchical position among doctors, in the communication relationship established between the whole staff and the single patients. Also, the terrestrial observer will not miss the ritualistic element of the doctors’ ‘rounds’, but probably overlooking the intrinsic link that exists between this ritual, clinical organisation, clinical power and clinical knowledge. Sympathy and empathy characterise the dialogue between the doctor and the patient in the ward. The first referring to a statement of emotional concern, the second one corresponding to the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. In this chapter, these aspects will be taken into consideration, showing why we have taken on the comparison with a theatrical stage scene.