Picasso's Science and Charity and the evolution of the medical art

Abstract

The present article reflects on the evolution of clinical medicine throughout time by commenting on Picasso's painting Science and Charity (1897) through a biomedical lens. The two souls of medicine, namely the cold scientific one and the compassionate one, are examined in their dichotomy and their relationship with today's concepts of cure and well-being.

Keywords: Art; Clinical medicine; History of medicine; Internal medicine; Picasso.