Our relationship with objects can be complex at the best of times. When it comes to objects associated with respiratory illness – oxygen, inhalers, monitoring devices, fans – that relationship is complicated further. They are both a very public (often stigmatising) marker of illness and a source of reassurance – a defence against the anxiety that breathlessness triggers.
Through three examples – an oxygen cylinder, an iPad and an oximeter (a device which measures blood oxygen levels) – this paper explores the conscious and unconscious relationships that people who experience breathlessness have with their health objects.
You can read the full article here:
Binnie, K., McGuire, C., & Carel, H. (2020). Objects of safety and imprisonment: Breathless patients’ use of medical objects in a palliative setting. Journal of Material Culture. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359183520931900
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