‘통증(pain)’에서 ‘고통(suffering)’으로- 마취제 개발에 따른 문학작품 속 ‘치통’ 서사 변화를 중심으로- = ‘Pain’ to ‘suffering’: focusing on changes in toothache narratives in literature according to the development of anesthetics

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Objectives: This study aims to analyze how the narrative representation of toothache in literaryworks has evolved in conjunction with the history of dental anesthetics development. By examiningliterary texts that reflect the discourse of their respective times, this study seeks to investigate theimplications inherent in the shifting meaning of toothache.
Methods: The study categorized time periods based on the history of anesthetic development andanalyzed passages describing toothache in approximately 30 literary works corresponding to eachperiod. The concepts of ‘Embodiment’ and ‘Suffering’ were utilized as theoretical frameworks forthe textual analysis.
Results: The analysis revealed that in pre-anesthesia literature, toothache was depicted as ‘Pain’itself—focusing on the unresolvable extremity of physical agony and the terror it invoked. However,with the advancement and widespread application of anesthetic technologies such as ether andlidocaine, the literary depiction of toothache shifted. It evolved from a mere physical sensation intoa metaphor for ‘Suffering’, where social and personal repression or internal anxiety is embodiedthrough the physical body.
Conclusions: The representation of toothache in literature has transitioned from biological ‘Pain’ toan embodiment of social suffering, paralleling advancements in dentistry. While dentists diagnosebiological ‘Disease’, patients experience subjective ‘Illness.’ This study suggests that the indirectexperience of toothache through literature enables dentists to gain a deeper understanding of thepatient’s ‘embodied suffering’, thereby contributing to bridging the communication gap in clinicalpractice.