Clinical case conference in medical practice and education: Origins and current status

A genesis of clinical case conference as a form of case discussion that integrates medical and educational functions is presented. The role of the following top figures of medicine in the development of clinical case conference is described: J.-M. Charcot, S.P. Botkin, G.A. Zakharin, V.N. Vinogradov, A.L. Myasnikov, E.M. Tareev, N.A. Mukhin. The article pays special attention to clinical case conference in Russian medical education. The role of clinical case conferences in shaping medical judgment in a clinician and a student is discussed.