A closer look
We send deeply compassionate people to medical school, and the curriculum systematically beats the humanity out of them over four years. Empathy erosion in medical training is a documented psychological phenomenon where the 'hidden curriculum' of clinical distance and crushing workloads transforms caring students into cynical mechanics. To survive the emotional onslaught of constant suffering, trainees build massive psychological walls, viewing patients as fascinating diseases rather than terrified humans. The irony of modern medicine is that to save lives, doctors are implicitly taught to stop feeling them.
