Medical Humanities
Course organised by Dr. Emil Toescu (Institute of Transdisciplinary Discoveries, Medical School);
Starting in February 2020
The purposes for a course on Medical Humanities is to bring back a sense of the importance and
relevance of human values: not only moral values, but also cultural and intellectual. That is
important in a professional life in which empathy and human engagement seems to be inversely
related to the degree of specialization; this is even more relevant in the medical profession. Both
hard sciences and an understanding of the social and cultural context of health care are necessary to
promote and improve the health of a society that depends on scientific innovation but also needs
desperately to tackle the social determinants of health.
The course will provide an introduction to some of the main issues and themes in medical
humanities, the study of medicine and healthcare using analytical methods drawn from across the
humanities and social sciences. A creative exploration of these issues will be encouraged as well as
support for the development of transferable writing and presentational skills of the highest
standard.
The lectures, in English, will be given by academics from across the University campus and will
provide ample opportunity for discussions and team work.
Schedule of Lectures:
When it all begun: Greek, Roman, Arabic and the Human Values – Laszlo Jankovits, Mate Deak
Theatre, Literature and Arts in Medicine: from Ancient to Modern; – Laszlo Jankovits
Medicine in the 18th Century and the birth of the Clinic – Tamas Molnar F., Daniel Bagi
Birth of Modern Medicine – from Cells to Germs – Emil Toescu
The Medical Model and the medicalization of the society – Emil Toescu
The danger of Scientism: neuromania as an example – Emil Toescu, Attila Sik
Legal Questions in Medicine (AI, Intellectual Property); – Judit Zeller, Noemi Liber
Decision or Predestination? Ethics of Abortion and Euthanasia; – Judit Zeller
The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Drones and Robots in Medicine; – Geza Varady
Clinician-patient communication to Enhance Health Outcomes; – Agnes Csikos
What is value in healthcare? – Antal Zemplenyi
Exit to Eternity? Life and Death in Assisted Living; -Katalin Fuzer, Judit Zeller
Greetings, I am a final year nursing student in ETK.PTE. I am interested to be a part of this course, kindly let me know how should I go about it. Thanks!