Did Medicine Lose Its Aura Before AI?

From the clinical gaze to electronic health records, a JAMA essay traces the long technological arc that set the stage for AI in medicine.

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The erosion of medicine's professional aura began before AI, as argued by bioethicist John Lantos, MD.
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The shift from subjective patient experiences to observable pathology marked a significant turning point in modern medicine.
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Anesthesia in the 19th century allowed physicians to treat patients as objects, diminishing the patient-physician interaction.
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Evidence-based medicine and electronic health records further structured clinical care, emphasizing protocols over individual patient needs.
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AI did not initiate the transformation of clinical reasoning; it arrived to enhance existing digital workflows and protocols.

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