The medical humanities - a brief introduction

Abstract

Background: The medical humanities is a broad area of study and practice encompassing all nontechnical or 'human' aspects of medicine.

Objective: This article introduces a series in the medical humanities in Australian Family Physician.

Discussion: The medical humanities serve three main goals: the study of the human aspects of medicine from within traditional arts disciplines of history, philosophy, sociology and literature; the intersection of medicine and the creative arts; and the training of more insightful and compassionate doctors. This article briefly explores these three goals and discusses their value for the medical community.