Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient

Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient is an inspirational memoir by Norman Cousins, a political journalist and activist who was diagnosed in the 1970s with the debilitating disease ankylosing spondylitis, which causes inflammation in the spine that is so severe it often confines patients' to their beds. On top of this diagnosis, doctors told him that he had a severe connective tissue disease, sometimes referred to as collagen disease. Anatomy of an Illness follows Cousins' recovery – a feat with a one in five hundred chance of occurring, according to specialists – through his involvement in his own health regimen, a study of brain biochemistry, and commitment to a daily dose of Vitamin C and laughter. The book is significant because it was one of the first to discuss the healing benefits of involving patients in their own treatment plans, and using alternative therapies and the power of the brain to heal a sick or damaged body.

The book begins with a discussion of Cousins's illness, which came on suddenly after a trip to Moscow in 1964. Cousins returned home on an airplane from the then Soviet Union with a mild fever, which he assumed was the result of a common cold or flu. After some days, the fever worsened into a more serious illness, and then it became difficult for him to move his arms, legs, neck, and spine. Confined to his bed, Cousins talked to his doctor, who checked his inflammation markers – they were off the charts, worsening as the days went on. He was soon hospitalized and kept in an intensive care unit, so doctors could keep an eye on his condition.

Cousins was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a connective tissue disease. Though in some the disease is not debilitating, Cousins developed a severe impairment of his motor functions, to the point where he could barely leave his bed. The doctors gave him a nasty prognosis – they told him that there was about a one in five hundred chance that he would recover from this disease. Once a healthy man, Cousins realized that he was likely facing a lifetime of severe physical disability.



While he was in the hospital, Cousins became increasingly more skeptical of the care he was receiving. His doctor, William Hitzig, was vibrant and talented, but the hospital was, according to Cousins, an unhealthy and damaging environment for his body. The doctors theorized that his illness was the result of heavy metal poisoning or exposure to some other kind of atmospheric toxin; with this information, Cousins became even more suspicious of the benefits the hospital was providing. Full of germs, infections, and bacteria that could hinder his condition even further, Cousins confessed to Dr. Hitzig that he was worried he would never get better. Cousins's biggest complaint, however, was the mental and physical toll that hospital life was taking on his body. He slept poorly, received poor nutrition (he complained of processed foods full of additives that he was sure were only making his illness worse), and the emotional toll of being in that environment was enormous. With the help of Dr. Hitzig, Cousins made the radical choice to check out of the hospital, book a hotel room nearby, and treat himself instead.

After studying brain chemistry, Cousins was increasingly convinced that laughter therapy could help his condition. He chose to take high doses of Vitamin C at the recommendation of his doctor, eat and drink well, and watch at least one funny movie a day. Slowly, and astonishingly for many medical professionals, Cousins began to get better. After fully recovering from his illness, he chose to write his memoir as encouragement to other patients to consider their needs and take an active part of their own treatment. Anatomy of an Illness is now heralded as a case study in laughter therapy and the healing power of joy.

Norman Cousins was a political journalist and activist born in New Jersey in 1915. At age eleven, he was misdiagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a sanatorium, where his skepticism of modern medical techniques began. Cousins began working for the New York Post in 1934 and became an activist for nuclear disarmament and world peace. After his diagnosis, Cousins began to study brain chemistry and the correlation between attitude and health. He later became an adjunct faculty member in Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. He wrote more than a dozen books in his lifetime.