1964 Geloof en Wetenschap : Orgaan van de Christelijke vereeniging van natuur- en geneeskundigen in Nederland - pagina 290

210

RONDBLIK

One of my female patients said to the specialist who made several remarks to the assisting nurse, during the consultation: „Doctor, may I ask you a question? Why do you speak about me and not to me?" This question expresses clearly what is wrong. We forget that the doctor and his patient are treading the same path and meanwhile there has to be a dialogue between them. This dialogue is only possible between two human beings, and this is exactly the point where human and veterinary medicine differ. We all know about psychosomatic troubles and we have learned that man is a psychophysical unity. In a way you can say the same of the animal. But the question remains; „Who is this psychophysiological unity whom we call man?" Nothing can give a better answer to this question than the story of the following case. A lady, 45 years old, came to see me, complaining on heartbeating. Complete examinations, E.C.G., X-Ray, blood analysis, etc. were made. Nothing abnormal was found. I gave her a sedative. Showing her out, suddenly she said to me: „Doctor, how terrible is cancer, do'n t you think so?" I said: ,,Well, yes". But being in a hurry. I said good bye and took the next patient. That night, when sitting in my room, I suddenly remembered this peculiar remark on cancer, and I was worrying about it. At the next consultation, after a week, the heartbeating had not improved. Another E.C.G. was made and a new prescription was given. „By the way," I said to her, „Mrs X, do you remember what you said to me, last week?" She did not; so I told her that she had made a remark on cancer. „Yes," she said, „now I remember, and I have to tell you something. Three months ago, one of our best friends got cancer of the stomach. I visited him almost every day and saw his painful struggle to the end. I cannot forget is." — For all of you it will be clear that the heart trouble had something to do with this experience. It is not difficult to find among ones patients almost daily such typical psychosomatic reactions. According to this patient, the heartbeating had started at the very moment of the death of the friend. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is not for this reason that I tell you this story. The question remains: Why did the patient get heartbeating and not stomachache? To answer this question one has to look upon this patient not only as a psychosomatic unity, but as a person as Paul Tournier has said in his books. Illness has always to do with mans personal destiny. He or she is in his or hers quite personal sickness evoked to come forward and to prove the firmity of the ground on which he stands as a person. In the case of my patient I found that not only the suffering from the disease as well as the loss of the beloved friend had given her a big shock. Unconsciously she had got a feeling of guilt, because at that moment she realized to be in love with this friend and this was contradictory to her religious feelings. After a couple of psychotherapeutic sessions she was completely healed from her complaints.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen