How can one measure the value of teaching the humanities? The problem of assessment and accountability is prominent today, of course, in secondary and higher education. It is perhaps even more acute for those who teach the humanities in nontraditional settings, such as medical and other professional schools. The public assumes that academes can assess the difference between good, indifferent, and bad physicians--otherwise, why would students and faculty members spend so much time obsessing over licensing exams? If they can measure those differences, shouldn't it follow that they can determine what, if anything, a curriculum in medical humanities contributes to the education of physicians? They certainly do need a sensible conversation about evaluating humanities teaching. However, elements of America's current political culture make it unlikely that the conversation will happen.