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The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers
Everyone knows what is feels like to be in pain. Scraped knees, toothaches, migraines, giving birth, cancer, heart attacks, and heartaches: pain permeates our entire lives. We also witness other people - loved ones - suffering, and we 'feel with' them.
It is easy to assume this is the end of the story: 'pain-is-pain-is-pain', and that is all there is to say. But it is not. In fact, the way in which people respond to what they describe as 'painful' has changed considerably over time. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for example, people believed that pain served a specific (and positive) function - it was a message from God or Nature; it would perfect the spirit. 'Suffer in this life and you wouldn't suffer in the next one'. Submission to pain was required. Nothing could be more removed from twentieth and twenty-first century understandings, where pain is regarded as an unremitting evil to be 'fought'.
Focusing on the English-speaking world, this book tells the story of pain since the eighteenth century, addressing fundamental questions about the experience and nature of suffering over the last three centuries. How have those in pain interpreted their suffering - and how have these interpretations changed over time? How have people learnt to conduct themselves when suffering? How do friends and family react? And what about medical professionals: should they immerse themselves in the suffering person or is the best response a kind of professional detachment?
As Joanna Bourke shows in this fascinating investigation, people have come up with many different answers to these questions over time. And a history of pain can tell us a great deal about how we might respond to our own suffering in the present - and, just as importantly, to the suffering of those around us.
It is easy to assume this is the end of the story: 'pain-is-pain-is-pain', and that is all there is to say. But it is not. In fact, the way in which people respond to what they describe as 'painful' has changed considerably over time. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for example, people believed that pain served a specific (and positive) function - it was a message from God or Nature; it would perfect the spirit. 'Suffer in this life and you wouldn't suffer in the next one'. Submission to pain was required. Nothing could be more removed from twentieth and twenty-first century understandings, where pain is regarded as an unremitting evil to be 'fought'.
Focusing on the English-speaking world, this book tells the story of pain since the eighteenth century, addressing fundamental questions about the experience and nature of suffering over the last three centuries. How have those in pain interpreted their suffering - and how have these interpretations changed over time? How have people learnt to conduct themselves when suffering? How do friends and family react? And what about medical professionals: should they immerse themselves in the suffering person or is the best response a kind of professional detachment?
As Joanna Bourke shows in this fascinating investigation, people have come up with many different answers to these questions over time. And a history of pain can tell us a great deal about how we might respond to our own suffering in the present - and, just as importantly, to the suffering of those around us.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
39 people are currently reading
683 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Bourke
38 books67 followersJoanna Bourke (born 1963 in New Zealand) is an historian and professor of history at Birkbeck, University of London.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 17, 2014
The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers
Joanna BourkeThe Story of Pain
(June 26)
In what is surely one of the most interesting books of the summer, Joanna Bourke, a history professor at Birkbeck, University of London and a Fellow of the British Academy, explores the history of pain—how we describe it, how we think about it, and how we deal with it.
Bourke writes that we’ve spent far more time documenting pain alleviation rather than exploring pain itself, and her detailed survey, focusing on the past three centuries, will surprise and inform all readers.
One would think that pain hasn’t changed much over time—pain is pain, after all—but while migraine accounts have remained similar, our relationship to suffering, and sufferers, has changed in dramatic ways. Once thought of as a supernatural punishment or an opportunity for personal growth, pain is now considered an external evil, an inconvenience, something to be eradicated rather than embraced.
Most striking, for me, is the chapter on estrangement. Pain isolates the afflicted, but remarkably, it’s the person in pain who does the distancing. Be it the stigma of sickness, the desire to insulate loved one’s from their suffering, or simply not to be thought of as a whiner, the sufferer tends to keep their agony to themselves.
And as anyone in the throes of a migraine can attest, communication isn’t a vacation. Bourke writes: “As well as isolating people-in-pain from their families and friends, physical discomfort works against human exchange by blunting the higher senses and intellect” (46).
Paradoxically, pain narratives also create and strengthen communities, such as support groups that arise around particular afflictions.
Bourke is no stranger to uncomfortable topics. Her other works include Fear: A Cultural History; Rape: Sex, Violence, History and Dismembering the Male: Men’s Bodies, Britain and the Great War.
Utilizing a variety of sources—old medical books, doctor’s notes, poetry, anecdotes, letters and others—Bourke compiles a well-rounded account of suffering, accessible to academics and casual readers alike.
Reading The Story of Pain is a bit like enjoying a sad song on a sunny day. This intellectual read might not alleviate that next migraine any better than “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” can dampen the sting of heartbreak, but it’s interesting to contemplate from an academic distance.
Joanna BourkeThe Story of Pain
(June 26)
In what is surely one of the most interesting books of the summer, Joanna Bourke, a history professor at Birkbeck, University of London and a Fellow of the British Academy, explores the history of pain—how we describe it, how we think about it, and how we deal with it.
Bourke writes that we’ve spent far more time documenting pain alleviation rather than exploring pain itself, and her detailed survey, focusing on the past three centuries, will surprise and inform all readers.
One would think that pain hasn’t changed much over time—pain is pain, after all—but while migraine accounts have remained similar, our relationship to suffering, and sufferers, has changed in dramatic ways. Once thought of as a supernatural punishment or an opportunity for personal growth, pain is now considered an external evil, an inconvenience, something to be eradicated rather than embraced.
Most striking, for me, is the chapter on estrangement. Pain isolates the afflicted, but remarkably, it’s the person in pain who does the distancing. Be it the stigma of sickness, the desire to insulate loved one’s from their suffering, or simply not to be thought of as a whiner, the sufferer tends to keep their agony to themselves.
And as anyone in the throes of a migraine can attest, communication isn’t a vacation. Bourke writes: “As well as isolating people-in-pain from their families and friends, physical discomfort works against human exchange by blunting the higher senses and intellect” (46).
Paradoxically, pain narratives also create and strengthen communities, such as support groups that arise around particular afflictions.
Bourke is no stranger to uncomfortable topics. Her other works include Fear: A Cultural History; Rape: Sex, Violence, History and Dismembering the Male: Men’s Bodies, Britain and the Great War.
Utilizing a variety of sources—old medical books, doctor’s notes, poetry, anecdotes, letters and others—Bourke compiles a well-rounded account of suffering, accessible to academics and casual readers alike.
Reading The Story of Pain is a bit like enjoying a sad song on a sunny day. This intellectual read might not alleviate that next migraine any better than “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” can dampen the sting of heartbreak, but it’s interesting to contemplate from an academic distance.
March 5, 2018
I got this book a number of years ago. I read a couple of chapters and put it down. Sometimes academic reading is a bit overwhelming. I tend to say there's a time for everything and now was the time for Joanna Bourke and I. I was about half way through her "The Story of Pain" when I picked it up again a few weeks ago and this team it felt like I flew through it. The book is thoroughly researched yet it reads beautifully. I was especially interested in her chapter on religion, but the whole book brought together many interesting facets of pain and as a historian she was able to unearth and bring many fresh perspectives that haven't appeared in other books on pain. This isn't an easy read, but if you're looking for new ideas on pain and the social constructions of pain this is a good place to start.
March 26, 2020
This is no doubt a fascinating book for someone who is interested in this field. For me, it was a rare case of just not being interested enough. It seemed to be taking a long time to get round to anything, and I bailed after getting quite a bit of the way through it. I think I'd been hoping for something more scientific. I have it marked as a 3-star read for what I did get into.
December 18, 2019
I thought I would be able to better rationalise pain, but it is painfully confusing and messy to do so. A book that fully unravels how difficult it is to translate language to something practical, general and specific. Now I feel totally confused...
Great read, bit hard to frame as it takes on the subject of pain from so many directions.
Great read, bit hard to frame as it takes on the subject of pain from so many directions.
July 13, 2025
Libro letto per preparare la tesi e che ho trovato abbastanza interessante, malgrado qualche capitolo un po' a vuoto.
Premetto dicendo che mi aspettavo una struttura diversa, più storiografica, mentre invece ogni capitolo contiene un tema diverso legato al dolore e come questo si è evoluto da un tempo non meglio precisato, più o meno nell'età moderna, fino ai giorni nostri.
La struttura è quella tipica del saggio americano, con la tesi ripetuta all'inizio e alla fine di ogni capitolo e un'enorme quantità di citazioni dirette. Sul lungo periodo risultano un po'ridondanti. Il tema trattato è comunque interessante, e anche se non ho apprezzato alcuni capitoli ho comunque trovato sempre a fuoco l'argomento centrale, per cui il dolore non si subisce ma si costruisce.
Ci sono moltissimi fatti, curiosità che possono soddisfare il lettore meno esigente a livello teorico ma più interessato alla quotidianità dei nostri avi. Lo stile si mantiene sempre chiaro, anche se la scorrevolezza del testo è parzialmente minata, come detto prima, dalle continue citazioni.
Premetto dicendo che mi aspettavo una struttura diversa, più storiografica, mentre invece ogni capitolo contiene un tema diverso legato al dolore e come questo si è evoluto da un tempo non meglio precisato, più o meno nell'età moderna, fino ai giorni nostri.
La struttura è quella tipica del saggio americano, con la tesi ripetuta all'inizio e alla fine di ogni capitolo e un'enorme quantità di citazioni dirette. Sul lungo periodo risultano un po'ridondanti. Il tema trattato è comunque interessante, e anche se non ho apprezzato alcuni capitoli ho comunque trovato sempre a fuoco l'argomento centrale, per cui il dolore non si subisce ma si costruisce.
Ci sono moltissimi fatti, curiosità che possono soddisfare il lettore meno esigente a livello teorico ma più interessato alla quotidianità dei nostri avi. Lo stile si mantiene sempre chiaro, anche se la scorrevolezza del testo è parzialmente minata, come detto prima, dalle continue citazioni.
August 7, 2017
Πρόκειται για μια καλή ιστορική ανασκόπηση του πόνου μέσα στους αιώνες. Ωστόσο, το βιβλίο έχει κάποιες σοβαρές ελλείψεις, όπως:
- Στο κεφάλαιο "Pain Creates Communities", η αναφορά γίνεται αποκλειστικά και μόνο στη θρησκεία.
- Στο κεφάλαιο για τη μετάδοση των αισθημάτων μεταξύ των ανθρώπων, παραλείπει σχεδόν τελείως τη συμβολή της γραφής και των βιβλίων.
- Το κεφάλαιο "Gestural Languages of Animals" είναι ελλιπέστατο.
- Στο κεφάλαιο "Pain Creates Communities", η αναφορά γίνεται αποκλειστικά και μόνο στη θρησκεία.
- Στο κεφάλαιο για τη μετάδοση των αισθημάτων μεταξύ των ανθρώπων, παραλείπει σχεδόν τελείως τη συμβολή της γραφής και των βιβλίων.
- Το κεφάλαιο "Gestural Languages of Animals" είναι ελλιπέστατο.
August 25, 2021
Ağrıyı tanımlama, ağrı üzerine düşünme, ağrının sosyal sonuçları, ağrıyla başa çıkma vs gibi mevzularla alakalı bir bakış açısı kattı. (Okurken kitapta anlatılanın aksine coğunlukla manevî ağrıları düşündüğümü itiraf edebilirim.) Fakat bununla birlikte çeviri olduğu için mi, akademik bir kitap olduğu için mi yoksa zor günlerde, sıkışık zamanlarda okuduğum için mi bilmiyorum biraz ağır geldi, zor ilerledi. Yarıda bırakmayı düşünerek güçlükle bitirdim diyebilirim.
November 6, 2018
Dry as a bone. Hard work.
May 31, 2019
Good if you're into the history of pain as it was documented in previous times, but very dry otherwise.
August 23, 2014
This turned out to be a bit dull....I was hoping for a bit more zing in what could have been a medical history lesson with some punch. The author, Joanna Bourke, is a professor of history at the University of London. Everyone has suffered pain from a scraped knee as a child up to arthritis, cancer and other disease as they age. Humans suffer bullet wounds in war and broken limbs in car accidents. This book attempts to analyze the why of pain, the how of pain, and the methods of controlling pain (prayer, painkillers, or plain old true grit). The book covers crude methods of pain control dating back to the 18th century up to modern day pills and potions. What the book offered in facts and academic thought is spot on but, I felt it lacked a close relationship to the human condition of suffering. Lots of old illustrations dot the book which are interesting in and of themselves.
August 14, 2016
This book is full of information from centuries ago up to the present discussing pain and the different forms and how people overcome pain. The author talks about the different types of pain from the actual physical form of pain in your body. To the emotional kind of pain like losing a loved one. Both can be very debilitating. Pain has been something people have been trying to overcome for centuries and the author goes into some of thoughts methods. The author also talks about the use of pain killers and how they are useful but also could led to addiction. A very interesting book and a lot of research went into this book. At times a little dry, but overall a good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
April 27, 2015
This is a very interesting and often angering book reviewing the history of how pain has been defined, ignored, and sometimes treated. I recommend it for anyone living with pain personally, that has a loved one living with pain, and especially those working with people in pain. There was so much in this book that I want to research further.
July 30, 2015
More history than theory, but the history's well documented and informs theoretical thinking wonderfully. A superb read, even if this isn't in your main circle of scholarship or interest.
If you're interested in the history of medicine, the body or in healthcare, read this book immediately.
If you're interested in the history of medicine, the body or in healthcare, read this book immediately.
January 20, 2016
This is a fascinating account of the shift from theological to scientific explanations of pain. There is a good balance between theoretical concerns and illustrative anecdotes.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews