This book is about a subject that I had been interested in for many years: bedside manner.  This story however, began when I was forced to retire from my dermatology practice in 1991 because of progressive Parkinson's disease (PD).  After a few years of unproductive self-pity, I decided to change my life.  Writing this book was one of the ways I would help restore my self-image.  Once again I was productive with a realistic and challenging goal.

With the introduction of managed care in this country, the subject of the book has proven to be timely.  My search of the literature warns that the traditional doctor-patient relationship (bedside manner) is in jeopardy.  My concern is that as the focus of medicine shifts from patients to profits, this vital component of patient care may eventually be lost.