Are the Medical Humanities for Sale? Lessons from a Historical Debate

AbstractIn November of 1959, William Bean published in theArchives of Internal Medicine a scathing review of F élix Martí-Ibañez’sCentaur: Essays on the History of Medical Ideas. Mart í-Ibañez and Bean were two of the leading exponents of the importance of medical humanism during a formative period from the 1950s through the 1970s. But the two physicians differed fundamentally in their views of the ideal relationships among the pharmaceutical industry, the medical profession, a nd the medical humanities. We situate Bean’s review within its historical context, shedding light on the history and diverging uses of the medical humanities.

Source: Journal of Medical Humanities - October 27, 2016 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research