<!doctype html public «-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en»> http-equiv=content-type> Language plays a key role in medical practice and in cultural interaction with illness. Textual genres structure how illnesses are presented and help constitute concepts of disease. This study investigates the ways that writing practices in literature and medicine around 1800 helped shape ideas and knowledge about illness. It contributes to our understanding of how knowledge is generated, articulated, and disseminated.
