Contribution of research orientation and methods to educational objectives of clinical sciences.

Abstract

Most students enter medical school with an idealism often not expressed but directed toward human service. With this is also frequently coupled a deep-seated curiosity as to the nature of biological phenomena and an intent, in some vague way, to elucidate them further. The humane idealism needs to be fostered certainly, and this is not difficult. A critical curiosity, however, is not at all easy to direct; nevertheless, unless we can direct the ordinary student into the development of a critical frame of mind, this curiosity will atrophy and the progress of medicine will be slow indeed. I thus find this topic that I have been invited to discuss an intriguing one—this relationship between experimental methods and the development of the physician—for it introduces a possible way of encouraging this curiosity. It would hardly have been feasible, even a few years ago, to consider giving time to the problem of