Quantifying Subjective Humanness through McGill Pain Questionnaire
The McGill Pain Questionnaire, an iconic pain assessment tool, has been used by western medicine since the 1970’s to evaluate patients’ subjective pain experiences. It uses pain adjectives and a numerical scoring system, that allows clinicians to assess both the intensity and quality of pain perceptions.
Three speakers with three different perspectives discussed this influential questionnaire:
An artist living with persistent pain, who transformed this questionnaire into a self-portrait installation. Originally intended as an aesthetic glorification of the questionnaire, the artwork evolved into a reflection on the current state of the medical system.
A pain clinician who considers the questionnaire a hindrance to clinicians in addressing the complex anthropological and phenomenological experiences of those in pain.
A neuroscientist and philosopher in the field of pain science, who shared stories of his friendship with Ron Melzack, the developer of the questionnaire and their exchanges on the philosophy of pain.
About the Artist
Eugenie Lee is a Korean-Australian interdisciplinary artist with a conceptual focus on persistent pain. She investigates pain-related perceptions and experiences through various media and technologies that often stem from collaborations with pain scientists and researchers which includes installations, paintings, and participatory interactive performance.
Notable curatorial exhibitions include the Big Anxiety Festival at UNSW (2019), MOD.IFY: It’s not what you know at Museum Of Discovery (MOD.) (2018), and The Patient: The Medical Subject in Contemporary Art (2016-18). Eugenie is a recipient of major grants and residency awards in Australia and graduated with Honours from Sydney College of the Arts in Australia 2012.
About the Osteopath
Sanja Maretic is a UK based osteopath with a special interest in persistent pain. She currently works in the Lincolnshire Community Pain Management Service as a Senior Pain Clinician where she has the privilege to accompany people who experience persistent pain. Sanja has a background in comparative literature and is forever fascinated in the intersection of medical humanities, especially narrative medicine, and healthcare. Sanja is passionate about introducing and promoting Medical Humanities, especially Narrative Medicine, in undergraduate healthcare education, and therefore promoting critical thinking and structural competency through the use of art.
About the Pain Scientist
Mick Thacker is a Professor of Pain, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is renown in the field of pain research and management and has a unique background as clinician, neuroscientist, and philosopher. He has conducted numerous research projects spanning bench to bedside and is motivated to understand pain and those who experience it as fully as is possible. He currently focuses on a Predictive Processing framework to understand pain. He has previously been involved in several dance projects with a focus on pain and its expression in those with their own living experience.
