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Illness Behavior pp 33–45Cite as

Is There Too Much Science in Medicine or Not Enough?

A Position Paper

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Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the interface between science and the practice of medicine. A frequent complaint made about contemporary physicians is that they are not sufficiently kind and understanding. The implication, sometimes a bald statement and other times implicit, is that physicians are overly scientific and insufficiently empathic. This chapter critically addresses this position. A series of propositions will be made and each of these discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Medicine and Health Policy, Harvard Medical School, USA

    Leon Eisenberg

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  1. Leon Eisenberg
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Sean McHugh  & T. Michael Vallis  & 

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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York

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Eisenberg, L. (1986). Is There Too Much Science in Medicine or Not Enough?. In: McHugh, S., Vallis, T.M. (eds) Illness Behavior. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5257-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5257-0_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5259-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5257-0

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