“Aenigma Medicorum,” a literary and art review recently published by medical students at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, features poetry, photography, musical selections and short essays about life as seen through the eyes of medical students and physicians.
The idea germinated with the student members of the school’s Multicultural Affairs Committee which seeks to advance institutional diversity initiatives.
The book’s executive editor, Matthew Q. Christiansen, M.D., a 2013 graduate of the JCESOM and first-year resident in the Department of Family Medicine, says the publication is an attempt to strengthen the medical school community by reaffirming commitment to the human experience and clinical excellence.
“The name ‘Aenigma Medicorum’ translates roughly to ‘the puzzle of doctors’ and is a reference to the intangible aspects of medicine that are so important to a successful medical practice,” Christiansen said. “It is an acknowledgment that, although we may be very good at treating disease, we are still learning and perfecting our practice. Each patient teaches us and makes us a better clinician.”
Submissions are made in the fall, reviewed by a student advisory board and selected for publication after assistance from faculty advisers. Submissions for the 2014 edition may be e-mailed to aenigmamedicorum@gmail.com.
Printed copies of the current edition are available through the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 3rd floor, Marshall University Medical Center. It may be viewed digitally at http://musom.marshall.edu/students/AenigmaMedicorum/.
