I have always liked the Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken" (you know the one - it ends with the quote, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."). I fancy myself as someone who, at least on occasion, takes the "road less traveled." For example, while the traditional path to get to medical school often involves an undergraduate degree in Biology (though this is becoming less the norm than it used to be), I ended up majoring in something called Movement and Sports Science - basically Exercise Physiology with a little Physical Education, Kinesiology, and Sports Psychology thrown in for good measure. After taking all of the necessary pre-requisites for medical school, I decided to go ahead and major in Biology as well (so maybe I am a traditionalist after all!). Anyway, my primary major was in the School of Liberal Arts and Humanities. Humanities is distinguished from the natural sciences and focuses on subjects such as history, literature, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and political science. My undergraduate college experience brought with it exposure to a lot of different subjects in the humanities. It is interesting to note that the word "humanity" is defined in the dictionary as the quality or condition of being human. The study of humanity (i.e., the humanities), therefore, teaches us everything about what it means to be human. It begs the question then, if patients today treasure qualities such as compassion, empathy, and understanding in their physician (see my last blog post), why do we focus so much on the natural sciences in medical education at the expense (frequently) of a broad education in the humanities?
Fortunately, there is a reason to be optimistic and hold out hope for the future. In the past few years, there has been a growing emphasis on the humanities, both during preparation for medical school in the undergraduate years, as well as during medical school itself. As of 2015, the MCAT now includes a section on psychology and the social sciences, particularly how these subjects pertain to a career in medicine. Several colleges now offer minors in the medical humanities, and some medical schools are now offering a brief exposure to these subjects. We are also starting to see advocacy groups and organizations bring things like the Schwartz Rounds to hospitals all across America. Schwartz Rounds is designed to help health care workers from all disciplines (medicine, nursing, and allied health) become more compassionate, empathetic caregivers. We are starting to bring back the so-called "art of medicine." Perhaps we never really lost it, but it seems that with all of the major advances in science and technology that we were focusing too much on the "scientific aspects of medicine."
We are all human. Nothing is more important than learning about what that means in today's complex world. The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates provides us with a long list of quotes (his aphorisms) on how to be a more compassionate, empathetic physician:
"Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity."
"Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always."
"It's far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has."
I also recently came across a quote from Daniel Drake, an American physician who was the first President of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The quote is on a plaque at the medical school which lists the recipients of the Drake Medal, a prestigious award given in Dr. Drake's honor every year. He said: "The reason that so many branches of human knowledge unite in the medical profession is to be found in the varied and intimate relations of man with all of the objects and operations of nature, all the works of art, and all the events of society and the world."
It seems that Robert Frost, Hippocrates, and Daniel Drake have more in common than we realize. Collectively, these three individuals, from different places and from different times, are all encouraging us to "take the road less traveled" and study the medical humanities. Whether it is just a professional hobby or an area of research interest, I think that a deep regard for the medical humanities will make a difference in how the collective "we" practice medicine, and I truly believe it will make us better, more well-rounded, compassionate, and empathetic physicians.
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