Locating Cancer

Abstract

This essay focuses on studies developed in the field of psychosomatic medicine that connected cancer with patients’ body image and fantasies (1950-1959). At this time, cancer began to acquire more medical and social visibility, and psychosomatic studies pointed to connections between cancer and emotional and personality factors. The chapter shows that scientists such as Seymour Fisher or Sidney E. Cleveland established that there are many aspects of the individual’s body that acquire psychological significance. The analysis also suggests that the body-image variations between individuals depended on the cancer localization, as well as differences in personality. By looking at these sources, this chapter argues that emotions and bodily fantasies became performative forces in the field of psychosomatic medicine.