Art of Illness

<p>There is a long history of inventing illness such as pretending to be sick for attention or accusing others of being ill. This volume explores the art of illness and the deceptions and truths around health and bodies from a multiplicity of angles from antiquity to the present.</p><p>The chapters which are based on primary-source evidence ranging from antiquity to the late twentieth century are divided into three sections. The first part explores how the idea of faking illness was understood and conceptualized across multiple fields locations and time periods. The second part uses case studies to emphasize the human element of those at the center of these narratives and how their behavior was shaped by societal attitudes. The third part investigates the development of regulations and laws governing malingering and malingerers. Altogether they paint a picture of humans doing human actions—cheating lying stealing but also hiding surviving working.</p><p>This book’s careful accessible scholarship is a valuable resource for academics scientists and the sophisticated undergraduate audience interested in malingering narratives throughout history. </p>