The Doctor, the Patient, and the Metaphor

This article discusses the principle results of a case study relative to a medium-sized hospital in northern Italy (130 doctors, 190 nurses, 300 beds). The subjects of the investigation are the metaphors used in the construction of the doctor's professional identity and in the definition of his or her relationship with the patient. The research tool used was a narrative interview conducted on the 14 head physicians and 4 charge nurses. The frequent unwitting use of metaphors reveals that the patient's subjectivity is taken for granted or even neglected. It may emerge only when the patient becomes a conflictual or juridical subject.