He's the first resident poet at a Canadian medical school, possibly the first anywhere. Often, students haven't had a lot of experience with death. Writers tend to think and to write about the things that disturb them . . . One of the ways to learn is through literature, to get a handle on experiences you haven't had. Whether student interest in poetry, music or other aspects of medical humanities is fleeting or long-lived, participation in the program will result in better doctors, Murray says.
Sciences deliver the necessary information and technique.
But humanities enrich each person by adding curiosity, imagination, understanding and compassion. The surgeon does a lot more than just cut. Our future doctors, no matter what they do, must be more than technicians . . . The good physician has a balanced life.