| "I never wanted to be a quack!" The professional deviance of plaintiff experts in contested illness lawsuits: the case of multiple chemical sensitivities. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20550092 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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When medical practitioners act as expert witnesses for the plaintiff in contested illness lawsuits, they can be stigmatized by their professional community. Drawing on ethnographic research surrounding the condition multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) in Australia, this article focuses on: how plaintiff experts specialize; their rationale for deviance from the professional norm; and structural constraints to medical advocacy. By diagnosing and treating the condition as organic, these experts oppose the accepted disease paradigm of the medical community and therefore face professional isolation and peer pressure. They rationalize their continued advocacy within a moral discourse, which includes a professional aspiration toward altruism, an ethical commitment to "truth," and the explicit emphasis that financial gain is not a motivation. For their deviance the experts have been confronted with professional disillusionment and emotional drain. Ultimately, the medical profession is disenfranchising experts who may be vital characters in the quest for understanding about environmental illnesses. |
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Authors:
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Tarryn Phillips |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Medical anthropology quarterly Volume: 24 ISSN: 0745-5194 ISO Abbreviation: Med Anthropol Q Publication Date: 2010 Jun |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-06-16 Completed Date: 2010-07-08 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8405037 Medline TA: Med Anthropol Q Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 182-98 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Anthropology and Sociology, University of Western Australia. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Attitude of Health Personnel Australia Decision Making Expert Testimony* Humans Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / diagnosis* Physicians* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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