RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 “Medicalisation of falling in love”: medical students’ responses to Thomas Mann’s The Black Swan JF Medical Humanities JO J Med Humanit FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics SP 44 OP 48 DO 10.1136/jmh.2006.000245 VO 33 IS 1 A1 Lahtinen, Aino-Maija A1 Torppa, Martina YR 2007 UL http://mh.bmj.com/content/33/1/44.abstract AB The value of implementing literature in medical education is widely accepted. The initial responses of medical students to Thomas Mann’s short story The Black Swan are described and their resources for making sense of the story are presented. Their written responses revealed that the students interpreted the story mainly through a medical framework and were capable of understanding the story’s complex and existential issues related to medicine. Evident gaps in the students’ interpretations and understanding are discussed and suggestions on using such kinds of intellectual texts in medical teaching are offered.