“ Here is the most anachronistic and conservative book that could be written on medicine. Here I defend an idea which is too often forgotten, even if it is at the base of all practical medicine — that no treatment can be really whole if the patient, those close to him, and his doctor don’t establish a special relationship based on trust. Compassion, understanding of suffering and devotion all have a place in the therapeutic relationship. How should we best care for the sick? Why heal? It’s a lost word that I propose here to recover. ”

Édouard Zarifian is a professor of psychiatry and medical psychology at the University of Caen.