Suchergebnisse

Examines diagnoses of neonatal jaundice, arguing that it is a self-correcting, developmental feature of newborns, & its treatment as a pediatric disorder serves to disrupt maternal bonding & nursing. Dominant cultural expectations of medicine deem anything outside the biomedical definition of "normal" as an indication of pathology. Medical elements of neonatal jaundice are explained, & the history of its treatment is traced in relation to development of the subspecialty of neonatology. Difficulties involved in doing neonatal research to determine risk potentials are discussed, along with the tendency of many clinicians to treat all babies who fall within a "zone of suspicion," rather than chance one disastrous outcome. As a result, the added burden of exaggerated pathology is placed on the newborn period. It is contended that the practice of medicine lacks a cultural perspective, & neonatal jaundice is an example of a constructed condition where social, historical, & cultural factors have combined to create both a disease & a medical/legal dilemma for doctors & parents. 45 References. J. Lindroth