Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

After hearing for several decades that computers will soon be able to assist with difficult diagnoses, the practicing physician may well wonder why the revolution has not occurred. Skepticism at this point is understandable. Few, if any, programs currently have active roles as consultants to physicians. The story behind these unfulfilled expectations is instructive and, we believe, offers hope for the future.Research on computer-aided diagnosis began in the 1960s with high hopes that difficult clinical problems might yield to mathematical formalisms. Most work therefore centered on the application of flow charts, Boolean algebra, pattern matching, and decision analysis to . . .