The dangers of specialism in medicine / by L. Duncan Bulkley.

  • Bulkley, Lucius Duncan, 1845-1928.
Date:
[1898]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The dangers of specialism in medicine / by L. Duncan Bulkley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    On two former occasions’ I ventured to bring some thoughts before you on “Specialties and Their Relation to The Medical Profession,” and “ On the Relation between the General Practi- tioner and the Consultant or Specialist,” and I would like now to direct your attention for a few moments to some of ‘ ‘ The Dan- gers of Specialism in Medicine.” First let me, in a few words, define what I consider to be the present status of the special consultant in the medical profession, this may be stated in a few propositions which all will be inclined to accept without controversy. 1. The science and art of medicine, has, in company with other sciences, become so vast and extended that no one mind is capa- ble of fully grasping and perfectly understanding every portion of it, and practising in every line in the best manner possible. Every medical man is unconsciously more or less of a specialist, or more qualified in certain lines of knowledge and experience than he is in many others. 2. Specialism is, therefore, a natural, healthy outgrowth from general medicine, as one and another person engaged in the study and practice of medicine has emphasized and developed one por- tion or another of the vast field in which all have labored. 3. Specialties have aided greatly in the advancement of the science and practice of medicine, by the concentration of thought and experience in special directions, and by collecting and util- izing large numbers of cases for the instruction of those engaged in medical study and practice. 4. The several branches or specialties, into which medicine is divided, are each so great and extensive, that the study and practice of one branch is sufiicient to fully occupy the time and thought of any one individual, it being difficult even to follow completely all the advances pertaining to any one particular line or department of medicine. 5. In order to properly follow and develop one of the special- ties in medicine, the medical man should be particularly well educated, theoretically and practically, in all the departments of medicine, and should have experience in general medical prac- tice before taking up any special branch. The highest and best type of a specialist is one who, after thorough training and ex- ^Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 13, 7^5^; Feb. 2,