Humanities, Social Sciences and Teaching in Medicine

What does it mean to teach humanities and social sciences in medicine?

Are they taught or are part of the culture of every human being?

We do not want to give answers but just give suggestions and propose points of view, experiences, and projects.

The debate is open.

Dr Knock - The Triunph of Medicine

Il dr. Knock ovvero il trionfo della medicina.

by J. Remains 1923

The South African novelist Andrè Brink wrote:
“....in a world which is increasingly threatened by famine and illness, violence and war, refuges, dictators and crowds of oppressed people, the word culture may risk becoming obscene. This is true only if we insist on considering culture as a reserve of a few privileged people, instead of considering it as the generator of meaning in a society. Hunger exists and can be appeased only by bread and not by a piece of music. The recognition of the full human nature of a woman does not depend on a painting. But this does not mean that humankind does not need music, literature, theatre or painting.” (non official translation from italian)

Riflessione dello scrittore sudafricano Andrè Brink
“....in un mondo minacciato da carestia e malattia, violenza e guerra, rifugiati, tiranni e moltitudini oppresse, la parola cultura può rischiare di assumere una valenza oscena. Questo è vero solo se insistiamo a considerare la cultura come la riserva di pochi oziosi privilegiati, non considerandola invece come la generatrice di significato in una società nella sua totalità. La fame esiste e la si può placare solo con del pane, non con la musica. Il riconoscimento della piena umanità di una donna non dipende da un dipinto. Ma ciò non implica nemmeno per un istante che l’umanità non abbia bisogno di musica, o di letteratura, di teatro o di pittura”.

Give me a doctor

Give me a doctor partridge plump, short in the leg and broad in the rump, an endomorph with gentle hands, who'll never make absurd demands that I abandon all my vices,

or pull a long face in a crisis,

but with a twinkle in his eye,

will tell me that I have to die.

Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973)