Description
Book SynopsisPhantom limb pain is one of the most intractable and merciless pains ever knowna pain that haunts appendages that do not physically exist, often persisting with uncanny realness long after fleshy limbs have been traumatically, surgically, or congenitally lost. The very existence and naturalness of this pain has been instrumental in modern science's ability to create prosthetic technologies that many feel have transformative, self-actualizing, and even transcendent power. In Phantom Limb, Cassandra S. Crawford critically examines phantom limb pain and its relationship to prosthetic innovation, tracing the major shifts in knowledge of the causes and characteristics of the phenomenon.
Crawford exposes how the meanings of phantom limb pain have been influenced by developments in prosthetic science and ideas about the extraordinary power of these technologies to liberate and fundamentally alter the human body, mind, and spirit. Through intensive observation at a prosthetic clinic,
Trade Review
Impressive! Phantom limb has long haunted medicine and vice versa. Crawford tells us why and skillfully reveals the changing trends and biopolitical stakes. Critically engaging discourse on prosthetic transcendence and cyborgian revolution, this book makes sorely needed contributions to science and technology studies, medical sociology, disability studies and emergent neuro-studies. And it is a fascinating read! -- Adele E. Clarke,author of Disciplining Reproduction
In this compelling book, Cassandra Crawford recounts medical ghost stories about the sensations of absent bodies. Cutting through an esoteric literature with verve and empathy, her research reveals the boundary where mind and body meet and social imprinting occurs. -- Stefan Timmermans,author of Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths
Crawfords captivating and enlightening monograph offers a critical perspective on the phenomena of phantom limbs, prostheses, and the relationship(s) between that so-called ghost and the machine. * Sociology of Health & Illness *
[I]f you are interested in thinking about the nature of bodies and how our (supposed) relationship with them has developed, then I think this book is a must. Crawford's aim is to dig under and around the nature and concepts surrounding body parts that hold no corporealityphantom limbs. * Social History of Medicine *
[] Crawfords book is a very important contribution to discussions about the construction of a technoscape made murky by the churning of constant discovery and innovation. Her conclusionallows Crawford to consider how knowledge is produced and generates meaning for both researchers and those it describes. * Somatosphere *
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Ghost in the Machine 2. Characterizing Phantoms: Features of Phantom Limb Syndrome 3. From Pleasure to Pain: Accounting for the Rise and Fall in Phantom Pain 4. Phantoms in the Mind: The Psychogenic Origins of Ethereal Appendages 5. Phantoms in the Brain: The Holy Grail of Neuroscience 6. Phantom-Prosthetic Relations: The Modernization of Amputation 7. Conclusion: Authenticity and ExtinctionNotes ReferencesIndex About the Author
