Abstract

Specialism in medicine is not new. Its accelerated pace in the past half century has been both anticipated and necessary. The growth in medical science has made it impossible for any one man to encompass these advances, even within his “specialty.” With specialized interest in a medical field has developed, almost inevitably, loss of a comprehensive viewpoint of the whole biologic organism. The patient has been divided into foci of interest to which may be applied special technics for either study or treatment. Though the “good doctor” has never lost sight of the patient as a human being, increasing stress is being placed upon this viewpoint in recent years, especially by the psychiatrist. This is well. What is needed in modern medical practice is good clinical medicine and all that this term implies, as contrasted to highly technical “subspecialism.”