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Analyzing Carl Elliott's Essay 'A New Way To Be Mad'

705 Words3 Pages

Tina Kizhakepuram
Literature and Medicine Extra Credit
Dr. Donaldson
May 11, 2018
“A New Way to Be Mad” - By: Carl Elliott
1. “No Humane Alternative”
In the essay, “A New Way to Be Mad”, by Carl Elliott, Surgeon Robert Smith suggests there is no reasonable option to the elective amputation of limbs that are healthy which he carried out on his patients. He says this in the belief that even if the amputees are talked to they will still need the amputation. It is absolutely sure that no matter what, they will go for the course. If the doctor's reasons in some other way and considers it reasonable not carry out the desired amputation by the patient, he might even because of more danger to the life of the patient. Surgeon Robert Smith argues that …show more content…

Just like Robert Smith was, it is amazing to be aware of how wannabes use identity and selfhood language to describe how they wish to lose a limb. Some of the patients have been quoted saying that “I always have dreamt of becoming an amputee, I had a feeling that was my personality” (Elliot, 4). This kind of talk has convinced numerous clinicians that there has been misnaming of apotemnophilia. It should be acknowledged that this is not a sexual desire problem as suggested by the philia, but is as a challenge for the body image. In some instances, it has been speculated by Smith that apotemnophilia is not a neuropsychological disorder with its roots being biological. Maybe it has little to do with ambitions rather than being held in the inappropriate body. Ian Hacking’s concept of “semantic contagion” relates to this because a person won’t want to amputate their legs just cause until someone tells them to for their own good. One of the highly disturbing issues is the way to get understanding of individuals who utilize the identity and self-language to describe the reason they desire such interventions. For example, a male person who says he is not himself until he is in Prozac or a female who undergoes surgery for a breast reduction as she has not been “blessed” with huge breasts. This picture is surprising and even beyond being odd. In all these cases, the personal individuality is the one

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