Literature and medicine: the shared territory

Abstract

The text De Profundis: Valsa Lenta (De Profundis: Slow Waltz), by Portuguese author José Cardoso Pires, describing the aphasia he experienced after a stroke, was used as a starting point to study the different approaches writers and physician have regarding the disease. The differences in form and content of texts describing the disease in literature and medicine fit in the conflict between the two cultures, as described by C.P. Snow, and are typical of the increasing specialization. The addition of literary texts in training programs for doctors and health professionals may help overcome this gap, making it easier to understand the disease in its broader dimension and collaborating to improve the relationship between patients and professional.