The integral partnership between history and medical education, in three parts

What use has the past? This paper explores its specific utility to the field of medical education. It particularly focuses on the value of history for educators (as opposed to students) by highlighting its potential to contribute in three areas. First, it examines the professional rupture in medical history as an example to avoid - and provides specific suggestions to retain unity. Second, in comparing how the humanities foundation of history privileges different modes of inquiry than the social sciences, it highlights how such methodology - in particular oral histories and material culture - might enrich educational scholarship. Finally, it suggests different ways of incorporating history into the classroom, such as interleaving eponyms, as a way to improve student retention and facilitate their ability to think more broadly, more ethically, and more empathetically.