ABSTRACT
The doctors of the Hippocratic era dramatically changed the methods that had been used by earlier generations of healers. They turned away from the use of the spells and charms that had been a major part of Egyptian medicine. Practitioners of complementary medicine have had few opportunities to experience the reality of hospital environments at close range, except perhaps as patients or visitors. A medical student may spend the morning in the gastroenterology ward, the afternoon in the cardiac unit, and the early evening in a surgical recovery ward. Biomedical education also requires intensive training in the various specialities. British doctor Michael Balint spent many years exploring the importance of the doctor–patient relationship in the healing process. The holistic approach deepens the therapeutic influence of the physician through enlisting the patient’s own participation in the recovery process. The physician is more than a diagnostic machine or source of therapeutic substances and procedures.
