The art and the science of healing

Abstract

The human condition cannot be compartmentalized into separate and convenient facets. The individual, as well as the society he/she lives in, is a complex conglomeration of experiences that transcend all aspects of life. We are what we are because of the way we are made up and because of the experiences we are subject to throughout our lives – a combination of nature and nurture. The Medical Humanities (MH) is an interdisciplinary field of medicine which attempts to personalise medical care, allowing the medical practitioner to apply patient management within the broad canvas that makes up the individual. MH includes all aspects of the humanities (such literature, philosophy, ethics, history and religion), the social sciences (such anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology, and geography) and the arts themselves (including literature, theatre, film, and visual arts), and the application of all of these to medical education and medical practice. MH is mainly concerned with training medical practitioners: “to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always”.