Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I will present a description of the different medical spaces involved in renal (kidney) therapy and how they combine to provide relief to patients by specifically situating the analysis within a framework of the aesthetics of location, therapy and the body.

Paper long abstract:

The diagnosis and treatment of renal (kidney) failure predominantly takes place in the Nephrology department of the super-speciality hospital in Delhi. But, conclusive decisions regarding the extent of the disease or the course of management can only be taken by collaborating with specialists from other departments of the hospital. The diagnostic process follows a strict chronological sequence of events and calls for the participation of other spaces such as the biochemistry and histopathology laboratories. Once a diagnosis has been reached, yet other spaces are called into play such as the operating theatre (OT) and the in-patient ward. Each of these spaces mandates a specific kind of aesthetics in terms of both, the physical settings of the locations and the medical protocols that are followed in these diverse locations. On another level, in the case of renal failure, the spatial boundaries of bodies are redrawn, be it in the form of the detoxification of blood with the help of a dialysis machine or the movement of an organ from one body to another. The fistula (vascular access connecting an artery to a vein) in the case of the former and the surgical scar (for both recipients and donors) in the case of the latter becomes emblematic of an alternative aesthetics of the body. In this paper I will present a detailed description of the different spaces and aesthetics involved in renal therapy and how they come together to provide relief to patients suffering from renal failure.