Tag Archives: total pain

‘Total pain’: the work of Cicely Saunders and the maturing of a concept

Published on: Author: David Clark 21 Comments

A striking feature of Cicely Saunders’ early work was its articulation of the relationship between physical and mental suffering. This reached full expression with the concept of ‘total pain’, which was taken to include physical symptoms, mental distress, social problems and emotional difficulties.  The idea was launched on the world exactly 50 years ago, in… Continue reading