摘要：Like many other amateur historians I have tried on several occasions to justify in my own mind my interest in medical history on utilitarian grounds. On reading these brief essays, however, I found myself rebelling against application of the term "utility" to medical history. History is a cultural pursuit. It requires that the student approach the subject as a scholar would. He should read critically and exhaustively, and re-read critically and exhaustively, until he has the subject well in mind. If any utility is involved, it is merely a by-product of the student's interest. If the study of history is to be of help, it is because reading the literature of the past will sharpen the ability to make decisions about the present. As Rosen said (p. 19), "We should not expect to extract from history any absolute judgments, either on the past or on the future."
