It’s hard to believe that it’s been one year since we launched NEJM Knowledge+ Internal Medicine Board Review. It’s been a fun and productive year — our learners have taught us so much, we have continually improved our platform, and we have launched our second product, Family Medicine Board Review.
As we were preparing to commemorate our first anniversary, we came across a fascinating artifact from the early days of medical education. As it turns out, we were not the first to attempt to link case-based questions with self-assessment as a means to reinforce learning. Yes, NEJM Knowledge+ had a heretofore-undiscovered predecessor. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the origins of this historical find, but have dated it to the mid-17th century, using the “wild guess” method.
As you can see from the parchment scroll below, medical knowledge has grown tremendously since the 17th century. However, we can infer from this discovery that the desire to improve one’s practice remains timeless.
