Defining the medical humanities: three conceptions and three narratives.
The definition of 'medical humanities' may be approached via three conceptions-the humanities as a list of disciplines, as a program of moral development, and as a supportive friend. The conceptions are grounded by linking them to three narratives-respectively, the history of the modern liberal arts college; the history of Petrarch and the studia humanitatis of the early Renaissance; and the life of Sir William Osler. The three conceptions are complementary, each filling gaps in one or more of the others. Getting clearer on a definition of 'medical humanities' is practically important if this field is to take its rightful place within health professions education and practice.
Brody
Howard
H
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA. habrody@utmb.edu
D003210:Concept Formation; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D006809:Humanities; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D009626:Terminology as Topic