Biting off the bracelet: a study of children in hospitals

This book focuses on the social situation of the hospitalized child in twentieth-century America. It contends that the children's hospital has many of the characteristics of depersonalization and enforced helplessness that are associated with other "total institutions" in our society. The book also examines the interpersonal approaches employed by staff and patients in dealing with the tensions created by the reality of the total institution, on the one hand, and the more idealistic goals of the children's hospital, on the other. The observations that underlie this book were carried out by participant observation in two hospitals. In "County Hospital," where observations were carried out in 1971 and 1972, the researcher also acted as a visitor to ill children. At "Metropolis," observations were carried out in the admissions area, the waiting rooms, and on the floors, where the researcher acted both as a worker with the play-therapists and as a visitor. Extensive notes were made at the end of each day. Ongoing fieldnotes were maintained and written in unobtrusive areas such as in meetings or in the lobbies. This material was occasionally reinforced by notes taken in other hospital settings. Chapters include discussion of the role of person-in-a-total-institution, socialization for patienting, and coping strategies of children and hospital staff.