Unwell: What Makes a Disease a Disease?

Mike McRae

ago 2018 · Univ. of Queensland Press

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In a world where illness seems to be everywhere, where does failing biology stop and personal responsibility begin?Nostalgia used to be a killer nervous condition. Women who were considered overly emotional were once treated with a good orgasm, left-handed folk were beaten to be turned 'right', and rotten teeth were pulled to cure the mentally unwell. Just who made these diseases 'diseases' anyway? And what makes us think we understand any better today? Unwell is a fascinating and insightful exploration of the ever-changing nature of illness. Using humour, historical anecdotes, scientific research and personal stories, McRae illuminates the power of disease and medical diagnoses to define who we are and how we live.In a time when extreme violence is blamed on poor mental health, when people suffer for want of health insurance, and research dollars depend on sharp marketing campaigns, understanding the social and cultural nature of disease is vital for our wellbeing – and the wellbeing of our community.

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Mike McRae started his science career more than twenty years ago in a hospital medical laboratory. With a passion for education he took to teaching science in London's east, followed by a year entertaining children across Australia with Questacon's Science Circus. Mike has been writing science for over a decade, working with the CSIRO, the ABC and the Australian Museum to produce educational materials, to inform and to entertain. Today he writes for the popular online news service ScienceAlert, and contributes regularly to a variety of science news and education publications. Mike is the author of Tribal Science: Brains, Beliefs & Bad Ideas.