The National Library of Medicine (NLM) defines Medical Humanities as the "study of the intersection of medicine and humanistic disciplines such as philosophy, religion, literature, and the fine and performing arts."
"This field emphasizes the humane aspects of medicine and health care and has expanded to include research in social sciences disciplines that are informed by humanistic scholarship, such as cultural studies, anthropology, and medical sociology. The literature is diverse, and includes scholarly research, reflective essays, and critical interpretations of artistic and literary works." —https://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/acquisitions/cdm/subjects57.html (Accessed on 4/8/2019)
Bramstedt, K. A. (2016). The Use of Visual Arts as a Window to Diagnosing Medical Pathologies. AMA J Ethics, 18(8), 843-854. doi:10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.8.imhl1-1608
"The care of the sick unfolds in stories. The effective practice of healthcare requires the ability to recognize, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others. Medicine practiced with narrative competence is a model for humane and effective medical practice. It addresses the need of patients and caregivers to voice their experience, to be heard and to be valued, and it acknowledges the power of narrative to change the way care is given and received." Rita Charon and her colleagues at Columbia University are credited with the development of Narrative Medicine.
—https://sps.columbia.edu/narrative-medicine (Accessed on 4/8/2019)