Citation
Thorp, John M., Jr. (2019). Compleat Physician 2.0.
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 126(12), 1407.
Abstract
In his 1963 commentary in The Lancet, presented at the Royal College of Physicians, AR Gilchrist described William Harvey – using the Elizabethan language of Harvey's day – as the ‘compleat physician’. His prose includes this description of Harvey: ‘scientist of the first magnitude, hospital physician to the “sick poor”, a practising doctor, a teacher, an author…an artist in words, a generous, kind, reverent man, devoted to the welfare of his college and the honour of his profession’, claiming that few could hope to emulate him (Gilchrist Lancet 1963;2:1–4). Thanks to the scientific revolution Harvey helped spearhead, over the next 350 years medical knowledge grew exponentially. Physicians in 2019 face even more challenges to strive for ‘completeness’ and approximate legends like Harvey. The November issue of BJOG, which moves from molecules at the bench to malpractice at the bar, highlights that expansion of knowledge in both its depth and breadth.
URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15382Reference Type
Journal Article
Year Published
2019
Journal Title
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Author(s)
Thorp, John M., Jr.
Article Type
Editorial
ORCiD
Thorp - 0000-0002-9307-6690
