When pigs could fly: influenza and the elusive nature of diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Medical Sociology
• Philosophy of Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Diagnosis is fundamental to understanding and classifying diseases in modern medicine.
• Despite taxonomic structures, medical diagnoses often lack concrete, definitive characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the elusive and complex nature of diagnosis using influenza as a case study.
• To analyze how the 'naturalization' of diseases creates paradoxical challenges in medical practice.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes a metaphorical approach, employing 'boundary transgression' to illustrate diagnostic fluidity.
• Examines societal and medical practices related to influenza diagnosis and definition.

Main Results:

• Diagnoses, exemplified by influenza, are inherently fluid and defy rigid categorization.
• Medical attempts to define influenza paradoxically involve transgressing boundaries, including reliance on lay understanding.

Conclusions:

• The concept of influenza is solidified through societal acceptance, lay self-diagnosis, and the 'influenza-like illness' syndrome.
• The study highlights the inherent paradoxes and boundary transgressions in defining and managing diseases like influenza.