Why modern medicine must relearn art of patient stories

In many ways, narrative medicine is a rediscovery of what our traditional healers always knew: that a patient's story is central to healing. [iStockphoto]

The only claim I have to the field of medicine is that my mother, Loice Kagai Amugonyoro, was a doctor in Navuhi village, where I was born. She practiced medicine without ever setting foot in a medical school. Her knowledge came from the wisdom of generations. It was handed down through oral tradition, observation, and experience. Yet, in many ways, she embodied the very essence of what the world now calls narrative medicine.

As a boy, I took a keen interest in what she did. My mother was a multitasker. She was a herbalist, counselor, surgeon, and midwife. She moved from home to home, always responding to the calls of the sick and expectant mothers.