| Research Abstract |
This research is part of "Ethnography of Hospital Wards" which is currently in progress. I examined notions of illness among inpatients at two hospitals through interviews and observations of nursing stations and doctors-inpatients interrelationships in consulting rooms. Both hospitals are mid-sized, with one specializing in gastroenterology and other specializing in neurosurgery. There are four important points illuminated by this research. First, inpatients tend to deny they are "byonin" (ill person) although they understand their disease. They would say they are sick but not "byonin" and would sometimes say they are healthy or energetic even after they are diagnosed with cancer. Seconderly, inpatients often spork of their life history when searching for reasons for their illness. When asked about their concerns while they were in the hospital, they would talk about their relationship with family members, colleagues, and community members. However, they would keep their hospitalization a secret from certain people (e.g. elderly parents, siblings, relatives, and community members) so as not to cause them trouble. This behavior indicates the inpatient's position and the meaning of being hospitalized in Japan. Thirdly, when I asked them to assess their hospitalization, inpatients often referred to valuable experiences. They valued their experiences because they could become acquainted with people who were from different generations and occupations, have different illnesses, and especially because they could get to know other life experiences and life philosophies. In modern Japan, this sort of experience is uncommon out side of hospital ward due to the urbanization and smaller nuclear famillies. Therefore, inpatients would evaluate their precious experiences on the ward. Lastly, inpatients entrust the attending physician with decisions regarding the cure, but took the initiative regarding prescribing medicine, extra tests, the discharge date.
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