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Religion and medicine: How are they related?

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Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive and dynamic profile of religion-medicine interrelationships. This profile is drawn from the respective characteristics of religion and medicine, as well as from historic and contemporary literature regarding their interconnections. Six symbiotic functions are identified and discussed with respect to their bearing on clinical practice, medical education, and research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

    Harold Y. Vanderpool Ph.D., Th.M. (Professor of the History and Philosophy of Medicine)

  2. Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia

    Jeffrey S. Levin Ph.D., M.P.H. (Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine)

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  1. Harold Y. Vanderpool Ph.D., Th.M.
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  2. Jeffrey S. Levin Ph.D., M.P.H.
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The authors thank Drs. Chester R. Burns, Thomas H. Murray, and Ronald A. Carson for their comments on drafts of this paper.

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Vanderpool, H.Y., Levin, J.S. Religion and medicine: How are they related?. J Relig Health 29, 9–20 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987090

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