Poetry in Medicine

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Rhetorical theory suggests that rhythmic and metrical features of language substantially contribute to persuading, moving, and pleasing an audience. A potential explanation of these effects is offered by "cognitive fluency theory," which stipulates that recurring patterns (e.g., meter) enhance perceptual fluency and can lead to greater aesthetic appreciation. In this article, we explore these two assertions by investigating the effects of meter and rhyme in the reception of poetry by means of event-related brain potentials (ERPs)...

Many claims have been made over recent years for the use of poetry (and, more broadly, literature) in the curriculum of medical students. Most often, poetry is put forward as having the potential to humanize medicine by promoting, for example, empathy, ethical sensitivity, and an appreciation for diverging interpretations. While these endpoints are all important, this essay uses the experience of a junior doctor undertaking a degree in creative writing to consider how the poetic way of seeing and thinking differs from clinical thinking, and why that might matter...