Friday, February 29, 2008

Learning the Science and Art of Medicine

Please realise that the study of clinical medicine is unlike any other schooling you have gone through before.

Here you are called on; you are asked a question; you answer it.

Why don't I just give you a lecture? Because through the questions, you learn to teach yourselves. By this method of questioning-answering, questioning-answering, we seek to develop in you the ability to analyze that vast complex of facts that constitutes the relationships between health and illnesses.

Now, you may think, at times, that you have reached a correct and final answer. You are assured that this is a delusion on your part, there is always another question; there is always a question to follow your answer. Yes, you are on a treadmill.

The questions spin the tumblers of your brain. You are on an operating table; the questions are fingers probing your mind, urging you to think clearly and rationally. We do brain surgery here. You teach yourselves the scientific facts of medicine and we train your minds to think like a doctor.

The Facts of Medicine is the SCIENCE of medicine, How to think like a competent doctor is the ART of medicine. You need both.

HT: Punna


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4 comments:

  1. this reminds me of an old tv series The Paper Chase about a bunch of law students at harvard being tormented by their professor, played by the late John Houseman.

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  2. Guess we gotta get used to getting these emails from our tutor :p (would that be torment for us? lol)

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  3. hi gary,

    yes, some more than others :)

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  4. hi doc,

    I love the series too. I can remember how they hero worship their professor, played by John Houseman. Ah, those were the days.

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