The Doctor, his Patient and the Illness

This book arose out of a series of seminars that the author, a psychotherapist, conducted with general practitioners at the Tavistock Clinic in London in the 1950s. At these seminars the GPs presented case reports to discuss aspects of the doctor-patient relationship. What became of interest was those patients who presented repeatedly to GPs with psychological or physical complaints but whose investigation findings were often normal and who were difficult to treat satisfactorily. About such patients Balint came to the conclusion that “some of the people, who for …