Medical humanities
Encyclopedia
Medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field of medicine
which includes the humanities
(literature
, philosophy
, ethics
, history
and religion
), social science (anthropology
, cultural studies
, psychology
, sociology
), and the arts
(literature
, theater, film
, and visual arts
) and their application to medical education and practice. Medical humanities is also defined as an interdisciplinary,and increasingly international endeavor that draws on the creative and intellectual strengths of diverse disciplines,including literature, art, creative writing, drama, film,music, philosophy, ethical decision making, anthropology,and history, in pursuit of medical educational goals. There is still no consensus on a common definition and this exciting field continues to grow and evolve.
The humanities and arts provide insight into the human condition, suffering, personhood, our responsibility to each other, and offer a historical perspective on medical practice. Attention to literature and the arts helps to develop and nurture skills of observation, analysis, empathy, and self-reflection -- skills that are essential for humane medical care. The social sciences help us to understand how bioscience
and medicine take place within cultural and social contexts and how culture interacts with the individual experience of illness
and the way medicine is practiced.
Cinemeducation
, from the title of a text by Matthew Alexander, Anna Pavlov, and Patricia Lenahan, refers to the use of film in medical education.
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
which includes the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
(literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
), social science (anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
), and the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
(literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, theater, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
) and their application to medical education and practice. Medical humanities is also defined as an interdisciplinary,and increasingly international endeavor that draws on the creative and intellectual strengths of diverse disciplines,including literature, art, creative writing, drama, film,music, philosophy, ethical decision making, anthropology,and history, in pursuit of medical educational goals. There is still no consensus on a common definition and this exciting field continues to grow and evolve.
The humanities and arts provide insight into the human condition, suffering, personhood, our responsibility to each other, and offer a historical perspective on medical practice. Attention to literature and the arts helps to develop and nurture skills of observation, analysis, empathy, and self-reflection -- skills that are essential for humane medical care. The social sciences help us to understand how bioscience
BioScience
BioScience is a peer-reviewed monthly sometimes daily scientific journal that is published by the American Institute of Biological Sciences . The content is written and edited for accessibility to researchers, educators, and students alike...
and medicine take place within cultural and social contexts and how culture interacts with the individual experience of illness
Illness
Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...
and the way medicine is practiced.
Cinemeducation
Cinemeducation
Cinemeducation refers to the use of film in medical education. It was originally coined by Drs. Matthew Alexander, Hall, and Pettice in the journal, Family Medicine, in 1994 and later used by Drs. Matthew Alexander, Anna Pavlov, and Patricia Lenahan in their text of the same title.-External links:*...
, from the title of a text by Matthew Alexander, Anna Pavlov, and Patricia Lenahan, refers to the use of film in medical education.
External links
- Medical Humanities
- Medical Humanities (Blog)
- Journal of Medical Humanities
- Medicinae Humanistica (Blog)
- http://www.stfm.org/fmhub/fm2002/feb02/lame.pdf The Doctor: A Seminal Video for Cinemeducation by Matthew Alexander, PhD Family Medicine 2002
- http://johnwaits.typepad.com/tfmr_clinic_pearls/2010/04/cinemeducation-using-film-in-medical-education.html Cinemeducation
- http://www.dur.ac.uk/cmh/ Centre for Medical Humanities, Durham University
- http://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/groups/chh/ Centre for the Humanities and Health, King's College London
- http://www.meded.uci.edu/Medhum/index.html UC Irvine School of Medicine Medical Humanities and Arts
- http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/humanities/ University of Sydney Centre for Medical Humanities
- http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Main?action=new Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database at NYU School of Medicine
- http://www.stonybrook.edu/bioethics/ Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University
- http://www.ea-journal.com/ Eä - Journal of Medical Humanities & Social Studies of Science and Technology