Teaching the humanities to medical students

Author: Baum Michael  

Publisher: Royal College Of Physicians

ISSN: 1470-2118

Source: Clinical Medicine, Vol.2, Iss.3, 2002-05, pp. : 246-249

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

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Abstract

The decoding of the human genome offers great promise for the understanding and treatment of chronic human diseases at the last frontier. There is a widely recognised hazard that an exaggerated emphasis on molecular reductionism may lead to the loss of the essential humanitarian instincts of young doctors. To counteract this danger it is now accepted by many leading figures of the medical establishment that the undergraduate curriculum must evolve to incorporate a variety of subjects conventionally taught in the faculty of humanities at our great universities. In this article, the case is argued that the study of 'medical humanities' will enhance the empathy, communication skills, ethical standing and, paradoxically, the scientific literacy of the next generation of young doctors. As a clinical scientist, I cannot prove these assertions with an evidence base, but offer up arguments as qualitative or hypothesis generation.