Association of Amer. Med. Coll. and the Amer. Ass'n. of Med. Soc. Workers. Widening Horizons in Medical Education, A Study of the Teaching of Social and Environmental Factors in Medicine, 1945-1946. [New York.  The Commonwealth Fund, 1948. $2.75.]

This report of the joint committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Medical Social Workers was prepared as a result of studies begun in 1941 and carried out from

1943 through 1946. The aims were: (1) to gather information in this country and Canada on present-day teaching of the social and environmental aspects of medicine; (2) to analyze the data obtained; (3) to evaluate the methods and techniques of instruction in use; and (4) to offer recommendations based on conclusions drawn from the Study.

The results of this study are presented in two parts: (1) a general summary which makes interesting reading and (2) a collection of source material and case study outlines which are of value primarily to medical school faculties.

The basic principles presented begin with the precept to “consider the patient as a person” and the problem is where and how in the curriculum the major features of illness, physical, emotional and social, can be taught so that “the medical student learns to recognize and understand the social factors in every case, to evaluate them in relation to the medical problem, and to assume responsibility (himself or through others) for the relevant problems as a part of diagnosis and treatment.” The discussion covers problems of basic knowledge to be taught, attitudes and schools and clinical opportunities for medical social teaching. Further discussion includes an excellent chapter on practical applications in medical teaching including the use of pre-medical training as well as techniques of teaching in this field in medical schools. Material is taken directly from the reports of the many medical schools who cooperated in the study and is studded with ideas which could well be utilized by all medical educators.

Finally, a chapter on conclusions and recommendations classifies the problem to date and indicates lines of further study.

The second part of the book gives an interesting historical background of the co