Humanities in Medical Education- the Past Ten Years

Authors

James J. Quinn, Creighton University

Date of this Version

1979

Document Type

Article

Comments

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences- Volume VII, 1979. Copyright © 1979 Quinn

Abstract

What has always fascinated me is an historical account that ends triumphantly but whose start-to-finish is riddled with reversals and hostile obstacles and haunted by anguishing circumstances. The history of "humanities in medical education- the past ten years" in the United States is just such a story. In the last ten years there has been a continually wider acceptance of humanities in United States medical schools, i.e., a growing number of schools introducing the humanities, a growth in the quality and scope of programs being offered, and a greater acceptance of the humanities as an integral part of the medical curriculum. I propose to unfold the history of this growth, and I hope I am able to render it as captivating as it deserves to be told.