The Underground Railroad - The Essay

What this episode covers

Dr Rita Charon explains how Colson Whitehead's 2016 novel about American slavery is used to train medical students, encouraging them to "write what can't be told".This is the final part 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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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Essay?

This episode is 13 minutes long.

When was this The Essay episode published?

This episode was published on July 1, 2018.

What is this episode about?

Dr Rita Charon explains how Colson Whitehead's 2016 novel about American slavery is used to train medical students, encouraging them to "write what can't be told".This is the final part of The Essay's five-part series, Narrative Medicine - a term...

Can I download this The Essay episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.