Art in the art of medicine

When it comes to diagnosing what's wrong in a patient, medical schools are increasingly telling students to look for answers in unexpected places: in novels, paintings, dance and theatre, writes MIKE ANTON. 

TECHNICAL training remains the heart of medical education, but the number of future doctors taking literature, art interpretation and other humanities courses has surged over the past decade. They are trying to awaken their feelings and intuition as a way to connect with patients who often feel as though they've been reduced to a collection of symptoms.