Medical humanities

What are the medical humanities? The humanities traditionally refer to subjects like literature, painting, anthropology, sociology, philosophy among others. Dr. Kirklin from London, England, an international expert in medical humanities (MH) defines it as and lsquo;an interdis-ciplinary, and increasingly international endeavor that draws on the creative and intellectual strengths of diverse disciplines, including literature, art, creative writing, drama, film, music, philosophy, ethical decision making, anthropology and history in pursuit of medical educational goals'. MH uses subjects which fall within the traditional domain of the humanities, in pursuit of goals in medical education. Another expert state: MH is the application of the techniques of reporting, interpreting and theorizing developed by the humanities to phenomena within the field of medicine and is concerned with issues like the patient experience of illness, the doctor-patient relationship, social and family issues in medicine, among others. Literature, art, paintings, case scenarios, and different activities can be used in MH. My colleagues and I, have used literature, paintings, philosophy of medicine, case scenarios, role-plays and activities in our MH modules.