As we have seen, different metaphors provide the foundations for different descriptions. What matters is how well the descriptions (and their underlying metaphors) serve the purposes for which they...

As we have seen, different metaphors provide the foundations for different descriptions. What matters is how well the descriptions (and their underlying metaphors) serve the purposes for which they are used. If the purpose is encouraging healthcare professionals to manage pain better, then describing pain as a disease or vital sign may well serve the purpose better than thinking of pain as a nerve signal or symptom. In this sense, the truth is irrelevant. The various descriptions healthcare professionals make of patients' problems are often in the form of narratives.