The medium and the message

Communication between doctor and patient is examined in relation to ways of describing the institution of medicine, the rules of engagement between doctor and patient, and the language they employ. Medicine and its institutions are presented in metaphorical terms; a theatrical taxonomy of consultations between patient and doctor is suggested; and patient-doctor communication is considered in the light of the pervasiveness of mistranslation. Because it is possible to invent a wide range of alternative metaphors for medical institutions, to envisage many different sorts of dramatic possibilities in the patient-doctor encounter, and to develop a respect for the particularity of all language, optimism is expressed about the future of research, teaching and practice in doctor-patient communication.