Annals of medical history . etreated in various ways, excellent or dis-tressing. No doubt the best one is that ofscientific research, by means, for example, ofa study of original documents. Through thiswe secure new data and gain new interpre-tations. This kind of work is essential toprogress. It is the laboratory method, andjustly acclaimed by the chosen few, whoare in the position to follow it. Medical his-tory may also be approached by the de-scriptive and literary nut hod, and it isthrough this method that historical matteris made vital and brought into touch withcurrent life, contributing
Annals of medical history . etreated in various ways, excellent or dis-tressing. No doubt the best one is that ofscientific research, by means, for example, ofa study of original documents. Through thiswe secure new data and gain new interpre-tations. This kind of work is essential toprogress. It is the laboratory method, andjustly acclaimed by the chosen few, whoare in the position to follow it. Medical his-tory may also be approached by the de-scriptive and literary nut hod, and it isthrough this method that historical matteris made vital and brought into touch withcurrent life, contributing to education,recreation and art. The descriptive his-toriographer must have not only literarjskill, but a sense of the proportion of things;he must have some learning and do someresearch also. As this kind of writing isopen to any one trained or untrained, itma\ be done and often is done stupidlj andverbosely, with little result of real import-ance to the world. Medical history andepidemiology may also be studied for their. sffr.(jhwo cJatin doctor mcoiciupai ///, mccLau ct pro cjsor ^Acquis P 91, gi Editorials 323 use in contributing toward the larger prob-lems of general history and of human prog-ress, being drawn upon as an ancillary tomore serious and important work. This hasbeen done in efforts to explain the extinc-tion of the Grecian States, and the declineof the imperial power of Rome. Medical history is drawn upon to illus-trate social customs, criminology, extraor-dinary human characters, and causes, andthe stupidities of legislation. There is aninteresting form of medical history whichis strictly biographical, and this is by nomeans the least important of the methodsof historical work. There is thus a long list of phases andtypes of medico-historical writing, andan application of data obtained throws lightupon a number of present-day human prob-lems. It is wise to encourage all kinds ofhistorical writing and to censure only thatwork which is insincere, careless and,
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Keywords: ., bookauthorp, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmedicine
