Eyeworld

64 | EYEWORLD | MAY 2019 O UTSIDE THE OR there was something important to say. In Wil- son's case, it was to correct false implications about whether he had strokes early in his career, which I doubt." Dr. Bohigian said medical/ophthalmic history was not part of his medical schooling or training, but it's something in which he thinks more programs are showing interest. "Now many of the universities and medical schools have courses on the history of ophthal- mology. It's becoming more popular," he said. "I think people want to know what's behind the current facts and how things came up. … Present medical students and residents may not have a lot of time to look up the past, but it gives you a feeling that we're connected, and it's also a kind of guide to the future." Dr. Marmor said he has tried to encourage an involvement with history and the human- ities in medical school but recognizes that it is difficult for medical students to find time to integrate awareness of the humanities. Still, that doesn't diminish its importance. "Humanities are important to make well-rounded doctors, and well-rounded doctors are better doctors. … It makes for physicians who are more than just technicians," he said. Studying medical history gives you a "sen- sitivity to the origins of the ideas that drive you professionally," Dr. Marmor said. "You might find that a discovery you thought was new was actually discussed a century ago, and that makes you more critical." In terms of the arts, he said, "you have knowledge about the eye, how it works, and how you can treat it. This may help you under- stand a painter or help you to treat someone who is a musician and is losing vision … or may give you a better appreciation in the visual wonders of different artists when you put this knowledge into context." Studying medical history, Danny H.-Kauff- mann Jokl, MD, said gives students an apprecia- tion for those who had a vision for how some- thing could be done differently in the field and who persevered to see that vision through to completion. It provides an appreciation for how "the things we take for granted have evolved," Dr. Jokl said. continued from page 63 Reference 1. Cordell EF. The importance of the study of the history of medicine. Med Library Hist J. 1904;2:268–82. Financial interests Bohigian: None Jokl: None Marmor: None About the Cogan Ophthalmic History Society The Cogan Ophthalmic History Soci- ety was originally founded in 1988 by David Glendenning Cogan, MD, as the American Ophthalmic History Society. It was renamed in honor of Dr. Cogan, an ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame in- ductee, after his death. The society meets each year, and participants present papers on ophthalmic medical history.

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)
• Blank Page (2)