The art of diagnosis

Abstract

Diagnosis is an art and not a science. I had a clinical teacher who used to say that if it were a science it would probably become so dull that no one would wish to practise it. Naturally the doctor constantly uses the ancillary sciences to assist him in his art. Rut it is easy to overlook the fact that the application of the principles of science to the diagnosis and treatment of disease is only one limited aspect of medical practice. The practice of medicine in its broadest sense includes the whole relationship of the doctor to the patient. It is an art based to an increasing extent on the medical sciences, but comprising much that still remains outside the realm of science.