‘The Humanities and the Sciences have their particular
roles in the practice of medicine.
The notion of evidence-based art is as absurd as an Impressionist
School of Science’ [1]
‘Science
and Art are indivisible as is the unity of human functions
representing body and mind.
It is the feeling of beauty which I want to convey the beauty
of living, the beauty of working, the beauty of senses,
the emotional beauties of everyday life’ [2]
In this issue we have chosen the paper by Frans Veldman
because of its humanistic touch, which corresponds with
the spirit of our Journal, The Neuroendocrinology Letters.
‘Vision, love, magic and realization of our dreams
are some of the main themes of the artistic part of the
Neuroendocrinology Letters’ [3]
‘Haptonomy the Science of Affectivity – comes
within the field of the Life Sciences which deal with research
relative to emotional and affective human life, particularly
in all that concerns communication, interaction, relationships
and affective human contacts.’ [4]
‘In this world of effectivity where rationalization
and intellectualization repress affectivity… the influences
on he human psyche are not taken in account, nor are the
consequences of the accomplished actions’ [4]
Veldman
is citing professor B. Glorion, in his editorial of the
Bulletin of the French Conseil National de l’Ordre
des Médecins, in March 1993: ‘Doctors should
have a thorough knowledge of two languages, that of science
and technique and that of the heart and soul.’
We could add to this dictum ‘language of the science’
and ‘the language of the art’, the two inseparable
basic needs of human being throughout her/his life.
Citing the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin, ‘the creative act
is the common bond between science and art as well as in
every single sign and expression of life’.
And as Marc Chagall said: ‘The visible is not the only
truth, nor is it the whole truth; the invisible must be
penetrated with the aid of the visible.’
Haptonomy has a central principle of the incontestable and
primordial right of a human being to the affirmation of
his existence and to the affective co nfirmation of his
being, right from the moment of conception.
The human life is a series of encounters.
‘All true life lies in encounter…’
(Martin Buber).
Lili
Maas
Art & Advertising Director
REFERENCES
1 Michael Baum. Evidence-based art? J R Soc Med 2001; 94:306-307.
2 Lili Maas. Encountering the Neuroendocrinology Letters.
Neuroendocrinol Lett 1999; 20:6
3 Lili Maas. From the Art Directorís Desk. Neuroendocrinol
Lett 1999; 20:137.
4 Frans Veldman. Confirming Affectivity, the Dawn of Human
Life. Int J Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine
1994; 6:11-26.
