People can have certain desires stemming from their illnesses, for the arts, health, companionship, serenity, and meaning among other possibilities. The scholar, writer, and teacher David B. Morris considers these desires a form of eros that should be taken into account as a part of what people go through with their illnesses and what could potentially help them. We speak with David Morris about the relationship between eros and illness, and evaluate it using examples from art, literature, and theater. We muse about possible applications.

Primary Source Citation
Morris D. Eros and Illness. Cambridge MA; Harvard University Press, 2017

Links
Russell Teagarden’s relevant blog pieces:
— David Morris’ book, Eros and Illness
— Anatole Broyard’s book, Intoxicated by My Illness
— The play, Farinelli and the King
— Montaigne’s essays about his kidney stones

Modigliani’s reclining nude series:
— Reclining Nude, 1917
— Reclining Nude (Nu Couché) 1917–1918
— Reclining Nude (Le Grand Nu) 1919
— Nude on a Blue Cushion 1917

David Morris’ CV

Thanks to David Morris for coming on this episode and providing his thinking on the role of eros in illness.

The Clinic & The Person is a podcast developed by our editor Russell Teagarden to summon or quicken the attention of health care professionals, their educators, researchers and others to the interests and plights of people with specific health problems aided through knowledge and perspectives the humanities provide.

Feature Photo by The New York Public Library