Screening saves lives.

The irrational taboos related to specific organs and the materials that come out of them also often mean there are limited reuses available that make you feel better about conditions affecting them. In this instalment of Culture Study, Anne Helen Petersen goes into detail about her recent colonoscopy in hopes that it helps others with their own concerns surrounding what seems like a mortifying procedure.

Marni Penning

Anne Helen Petersen is a journalist and author of four books, including the forthcoming "Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working From Home."

Anne Helen Petersen

A weekly newsletter from journalist and author Anne Helen Petersen.

The name “Culture Study” is a modification of “Cultural Studies,” a term used to describe an academic field — and general posture — towards the culture that surrounds us. The scholars of this early field believed that if people found meaning or pleasure in a cultural object, no matter how high or low brow, it was worth thinking about.

Welcome to Colonoscopy Land