Psychophysical Relationships

THE approach to the subject of this lecture is dictated by two of the most important principles held by the Medical Faculty of this Universitv in the teaching of medicine. The first of these is that the student should acquire a sound knowledge of the laws governing health and disease, so that no matter what problem confronts him as a doctor, he will be able to marshal his facts in such a way that even if they are not sufficient to make a complete diagnosis, he will be able to put forward a sound working hypothesis. The second principle is equally important-and is perhaps more a reflection of present-day trends in medical thought than is the first. It is that the teacher should be prepared to lose his identity in so far as the boundaries of his department or speciality are concerned, and follow his subject where it is relevant to other specialities. In this way, better than in any other, the student will realise that departments are created mainly for administrative convenience, and not because they represent isolated bodies of knowledge. Psychiatry urgently needs objective criteria whereby the phenomena observed can be measured, and whereby those measurements can be repeated by other observers. Only thus can we establish sound principles that may well be the key to some of the most stubborn problems of medicine. The study of psychophysical relationships is of great importance in the present state of our knowledge. It would be contrary to the facts to claim that it is the only approach, but it is one to which the scientific method can be applied with the greatest chances of success.