The overarching thesis of this book is that the prevailing biomolecular model of disease is too restricted for clinical use. It took me many years to come to that conclusion. I was pushed to come to that view through my experiences with patients who did not fit the narrow model. Too many exceptions forced me to find an expanded model of disease. These are the stories of those patients and my interaction with them as a physician over a fiftyyear period. I have selected patients and their stories that riveted my attention and changed my thinking about the nature of disease, about doctor-patient relationships, and about principles of caring for.
