The relationship between the arts and medicine

Abstract

In this paper some of the intriguing links between the arts and medicine are explored. As

The therapeutic relationship in phytotherapy

“…Scott (2000) proposes that: 'the arts can contribute to whole person understanding in at least three ways':…”

The medical humanities: literature and medicine

“…Literature provides a ready source, an insight in to what Scott calls 'the common and shared patterns of response to critical situations, or into unique and individual responses to crises' , and may also enrich the language and thought of the medical practitioner. 14 Medical, technical language can and does set physicians apart from patients. At the time when the patient is most in need of support and understanding, clinical language can create a wider gulf, thereby isolating the patient from the proper concern.…”

The teaching of legal medicine in Australasia

“…1 The study of law is usually perceived as being under the rubric of 'the humanities', while that of medicine is perceived as a scientific discipline. 2 In medicine, the doctor assesses the patient's symptoms and signs and uses this information to determine the appropriate diagnosis. This may require the proposition of a provisional diagnosis (the diagnosis of best fit) and a set of differential diagnoses (the possible diagnoses that might apply should the provisional diagnosis prove incorrect).…”