#9 Ambiguous Standards of Diagnosis
The numeric values used to measure people’s bodies, and bodily functions bear a vital status in the medical world. This crate investigates the medical industry’s standards, which places the average white European male into its epicenter, through the instruments and tests used to monitor and diagnose diseases or conditions. It draws attention to the ambiguity of these standards, revealing how “normal” is defined and becomes “the norm,” within a medical model that categorises both the disease and the patient within a binary system (e.g., healthy/sick, normal/abnormal). Beyond being a question of perceived physical and psychological wellness, illness becomes a socially constructed fact.
Contents (in alphabetical order): Body measuring tape, color blindness test, goniometer, handgrip strengthener, orchidometer, pedometer, pregnancy test, reflex hammer, saccharometer, skinfold fat meter, sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, thermometer, tuning fork and Wartenberg (pin)wheel.