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James Curran
The Doctor, his Patient and the Illness
BMJ 2007; 335: 941-a [Full text]
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[Read Rapid Response] Classic of Michael Balint.
Suresh Kumar Pathak   (5 November 2007)

Classic of Michael Balint. 5 November 2007
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Suresh Kumar Pathak,
Retired GP
Retired

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Re: Classic of Michael Balint.

Dear sir,

It is gratifying to note that The Medical Classic, "The Doctor, his Patient and the illness" by the late Michael Balint is still considered a classic some 50yrs from its publication. This book has taught us the essentials of typical British General Practice, which are not taught in any medical curriculam or in any Text Book of Medicine. I have read, reread this book and have consulted it several times during my work as a GP, which was of 3 decades. I know I have learnt a great deal from this book, specially the new dimensions it has opened in Doctor-Patient relationship. A whole new meaning has emerged from this book about the style and contents of Consultation. I did not know, until I read the book, that Doctors also have their, emotions, feelings and beliefs which He displays in his consultaion. I had the privilege of attending the Balint type of seminars run by the Tavistock Clinic, North London. These seminars were attended by working GPs, with a psychoanalyst as the Group Leader. It was a great learning exercise attending these seminars, which I did regularly on Thursday afternoons for almost 13yrs.

There are some further titles, adding to the orignal book.
1) Treatment or Diagnosis, By Michael Balint and others, published by Tavistock Publications.
2) Six Minutes for the patient, By E. Balint & others, Tavistock London.
3)The doctor,the patient and the group, Balint revisited, by E. Balint & others, Published by Routledge London.

I was a VTS trainer and all my Registrars had to read this book during the early months of training. Regretfully with modern techniques, gadgets and number of expensive investigations (defensive medicine?) we have overlooked the person who is sitting in front of us as a patient, leave alone his illness, we do not attempt to understand it, We are more concerned about our performance indicators?

Competing interests: None declared