Art Quote by William Osler
“If it were not for the great variability among individuals, medicine might as well be a science, not an art.”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Medicine and the Art of Healing, 1926
Individual variability makes medicine an art, requiring personal judgment beyond scientific data.
In simple terms: Medicine is both science and art.
Balance data with empathy.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- patient care
- medical education
- research design
- policy making
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can doctors honor patient individuality?
- What role does intuition play in medicine?
Standardization can ignore uniqueness.