Subjectivity in Science

Listening to Radio 4's excellent All in the Mind this evening I heard in the article on 'survivors poetry' another encouraging sign that scientists and doctors in the West might be starting to take the subjective aspects of illness - mental illness in this case - as seriously as the biological and physiological bits. The program goes even farther, by suggesting that an appreciation of literature might make a substantial difference, especially to the unusually large numbers of writers who succumb to mental illness. And they say we highfallutin academic types can't make a difference in the world! (Overlooking the fact that teaching people's kids to write, think and generally communicate better might actually be a good way to make a living).