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Episode details

Radio 3,01 Jul 2018,13 mins,

Sonny's Blues

The Essay
Contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

Available for over a year

How James Baldwin's short story helped a doctor and her patient break down the divisions of class, age and race. This is part one of The Essay's five-part series, Narrative Medicine - a term coined to describe the capacity to recognize, absorb, metabolize, interpret, and be moved by stories of illness. Simply - it's medicine practised by someone who knows what to do with stories. Part of the BBC's NHS at 70 season. Warning: this episode deals with serious medical issues and trauma.

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