Narrative-based primary care: a practical guide.: John Launer. (264 pages, {pound}21.95.) Radcliffe Medical Press Ltd, 2002. ISBN 1-85775-539-1.

Patients tell all kinds of stories about their lives, oftenemotionally charged, sometimes funny, but always enriching.This is grist to the doctor’s mill, that makes personalmedicine so rewarding to practise. It is important for patientsto know that their stories have been heard and understood. Thevery