새로운 의료인문학(들)과 한국 의료인문학의 자리

Abstract

What has been, and what should be, the medical humanities in South Korea? This article examines the role and status of the medical humanities in Korea within the context of the history and revival of the medical humanities globally. Medical humanities in South Korea has been a restoration and introduction of the past in response to the call for the renovation of Korean healthcare. This is largely in line with the paradigm shift in biomedical sciences that has begun globally in response to changing disease patterns, the emergence of new diseases, the diversification of healthcare providers, and the onset of the genetic era. However, the global transition in biomedical sciences and the crisis in Korean healthcare are not the same, and the themes of medical humanities at the global level may not necessarily be the same as those in South Korea. For this reason, it is necessary to explore the role of Korean medical humanities in various medical humanities contexts and branches. It is also necessary to refine the themes of Korean medical humanities while enriching geopolitical and local understandings. At first, this article traces the process of 'medicine as humanities' and the formation of medical humanities as a discipline in medical schools. In particular, it examines how the study of humanities, which aims to form a holistic human being, has been emphasized in medical education as it can embraces the call for reflection in medical science, which asks for compassion and empathy for patients and others. Then, it examines the globalization of medical education as a background for the introduction of medical humanities in South Korea since the 1990s, and critically examines it under from the perspective of the call for humanities in medicine. Finally, it proposes the status and role of medical humanities in South Korea using the domains of ‘professionalism’ and ‘cure and care’ as examples.