Impact of Technology on Medical Education

Abstract

Dr. Beeson: The first thing I would like to do is to emphasize that Clinical Science, and the present scope of its technology constitute a relatively new phenomenon. I do not, of course, mean to belittle the importance of the contributions by such great bygones as Harvey, Pasteur, Roentgen, or Garrod, but nevertheless it must be kept in mind that academic clinical scientists only appeared on the scene in substantial numbers within the last 30 or 40 years. From 1950 on they proliferated at an astonishing rate. As recently as the mid-1930’s a controversy took place in Britain between Sir Thomas Lewis, who was advocating that clinical investigation be recognized by universities as a scientific discipline, and Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, President of the Royal Society, who felt that the acceptance of this concept would drain university resources away from what he felt would be more fruitful lines of investigation in the basic sciences.