[The situation of the "small disciplines" using the example of the history, theory, and ethics of medicine].

There is no clearly defined concept of the "small disciplines" (i.e., smaller fields of study). They have minor facilities and therefore they do not take center stage in a medical school with regard to research and education. Thus, in times of tight resources, the necessity of those disciplines is questioned. In particular, disciplines which cover the field of social medicine in a broader sense and which are not based on molecular medicine, respectively, do not belong to a clinical major discipline may be threatened with "extinction". This is probably not the case with "History, Theory, Ethics of Medicine" (German abbreviation: GTE) which was introduced by the Approbationsordnung für Arzte (license to practise medicine order) in 2002. It is now established in almost all of the German medical schools. The paper describes the contemporary, sometimes controversially discussed situation of GTE stressing its importance for medical education and the scientific self-conception of medicine. The medical humanities are an essential location for the critical self-reflection of medicine - indispensable for medical schools and in the end also medical care.