Question:1 Discuss Foucault’s idea of relationship between modern medical discourses and the exercise

of power in society.

Answer: In the work ‘Medical Power and Social Knowledge’ by Turner, it was mentioned that Foucault
examined the relation between modern medical discourse and the exercise of power in society I.e. the
development of alliance between discourse, practice and professional groups. Foucault was concerned
with the form of surveillance which he called ‘panopticism’ through the clinic, asylum ad the prison.
Panopticism provide framework for the development of medical discourse addressed to social order and
power. Modern medical professionals and medical practices evolved in relation to the growth and
surveillance of societies through the exercise of discipline over body and population. Foucault believed
that language helps to apprehend and know the reality. Scientific knowledge is a form of narrative and
depends on various conventions of language. And how things are defined depends on what culture
allocates . He explained that power produces the knowledge and both directly implies on each other.
According to Foucault, the epistemology of disease that is the knowledge of what can be called a
‘disease’ determined by powerful. For example, homosexuality is sin in Christianity and sexual
preference in modern medicine, which tells that disease is not pathological in nature but the outcome of
social-historical processes. This shows how there is a relationship between modern medical discourse
and exercise of power in society.

Question: 2 Briefly explain the changing historical relationship between religion and medicine.

Answer: Bryan Turner, in his work ‘Medical Power and Social Knowledge’ mentioned that there is a
connection between the religion and medicine is ancient. The relationship between them can be
understood through the analogy of ‘soul and body’. There was a complex and ambiguous relationship
which is shared by law, religion and medicine which was not studied and observed separately. All the
three things which are previously mentioned are the discursive formation for the rational and
disciplined management of body (according to Foucault). In order to illustrate the changing relationship,
turner mentioned that in past, Europe inherited a traditional Greek medical system, where illness was
considered as secular. On the other hand, Christianity moral aspect was attached to illness; it was
considered as punishment of god and healing as assumed to be the mercy of god. There was conflict
between these two. Later on, turner mentioned that the concept of ‘Diet’ was considered as major part
of religious and medical practices. Both attached different meaning to diet. The religious dietary focused
on inner bodily control in order to bring discipline. Modern science transformed diet into secular science
for the rationalization of body. In medicine, there was a general trend of secularization. It is true that
both religion and medicine became separated at formal level but medical practices continued to assume
important moral and religious assumptions.

Question:3 Write a brief note on the cultural meanings of illness and distinguish between illness and
disease.