Article January 25, 1964 Issue

Signs of the Times

Edward H. Rynearson

The National Observer

Edward H. Rynearson, M.D. as reported in The National Observer New York, New York

At its convention in Atlantic City, N. J., ... the American Medical Association (AMA) set up a new Department of Religion and Medicine, aimed at bringing clergymen and physicians closer together in the art of healing. The step is the result of the feeling of many doctors that the practice of medicine often fails because it has become too cold and methodical. One who holds that view is Edward H. Rynearson, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minn. His theories on the role of religion in healing were set forth in a speech before the new AMA department. ... Here are excerpts:

"The longer I practice medicine the more impressed I am with the large number of patients who are in the waiting room because of the fearful sufferings which life has inflicted upon them. I do not say that they are weak; sometimes they are very strong, but the degree of environmental stress exerted upon them has exceeded even the reserves of their great strength. ...

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio