LibGuides: Medicine in Literature: Poetry

The tradition of doctor-poet goes back as far as Greek mythology. Today, the interdisciplinary link between poetry and medicine continues to be a source of creative expression and is the focus of the Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine. Take a look at some of our links below to find out more or read our blog post here

Browse our Poetry Collection

Book cover depicting blue walls, partial window and vase of flowers.

Book cover with lime green background, clipboard and stethoscope.

Book cover with orange background, title and author.

Image of an elderly man and woman walking with sticks in opposite directions with a reflection of their younger selves dancing across the backdrop.

Black and white image of girl's face looking pensive.

Black and white graphic image of two people sitting on a rooftop in conversation, surrounded by the outline of other tall buildings.

image of a partial set of brightly coloured teeth.

Sage green book cover with author and title in different shades of green.

Black book cover with title 'Milk and Honey' and author 'Rupi Kaur' in white, with white outline of two bees.

Child like blurred image of a woman collapsing surrounded by buildings.

Book cover with blue background and title 'Please Hear What I'm Not Saying' in orange lettering.

Book cover with purple background. Title 'Every Little Sound' and author 'Ruby Robinson' in lime green.

Cross hatch sketch of building with title 'Stairs and Whispers' imposed on top.

Poetry on Prescription

Julia Darling
The concept that poetry can help cure us by giving us words to help find order in the chaos of ill health is the legacy of Julia Darling. She passionately believed that ‘poetry should be part of every modern hospital’.
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In her introduction to 'The Poetry Cure', Julia noted: ‘It’s a powerful force, which can help us through the darkest times. I would like to see more poets in residence in the health system, more poetry books in waiting rooms, more poems on the walls, more training in creative writing for doctors, and more poems printed on primary care leaflets.’
The Emergency Poet
Deborah Alma, or the Emergency Poet, fully subscribes to the concept of poetry as therapy and has been dispensing poems for many years, first from the back of her vintage ambulance and now from the world's first dedicated Poetry Pharmacy.
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Deborah affirms that the impetus for her project was to be 'a vehicle (pun intended) for poetry to be delivered to people who don’t usually encounter it; to be inviting and not intimidating, to counter the widely held perception that poetry is “difficult, obscure and not for the likes of me”
Poetry Remedy
Former Nurse-Verse to the Emergency Poet, Sue Spencer uses poetry to facilitate well-being in education and health care. As Assistant Editor to the BMJ Humanities, she believes that poetry can bolster people through challenging times. During her time teaching here at Newcastle University, the Library facilitated popular events where Sue offered poetry remedies following a personal exchange.

Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine

Hippocrates Poetry Prize

Currently on hiatus, the Hippocrates Prize is an international poetry prize exploring the relations between poetry and medicine.

Medicine in Poetry

Danielle Ofri
Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, is one of the foremost voices in the medical world today, shining an unflinching light on the realities of healthcare and speaking passionately about the doctor-patient relationship.

She writes about medicine and the doctor-patient connection. Her writing has appears frequently in the New York Times, as well as in The New Yorker, Slate Magazine, the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and other publications.

Danielle is a founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, the first literary journal to arise from a medical setting.
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