The Management of a Nerve Patient (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906. Excerpt: ... Importance of first interview. How to make it of most good. First inter view often tho last. CHAPTER IV THE FIRST INTERVIEW I Think that the importance of the first interview between patient and doctor has not been fully estimated. No first meeting of two personalities is trivial in its effects, and least of all when they stand in the relation of doctor and patient. Of course the importance may be increased or lessened by the doctor, for whom alone I write here; and my object is to consider how in the case of functional nerve-disease this first interview may be made to yield a maximum result for good. It must be remembered that perhaps in quite half the cases a consultant or specialist sees, the first interview is also the last. At the time it is often not known whether such will be the case or not. Hence for this, besides many other reasons, it is desirable to seek always to do distinct good on this important occasion. Many doctors think that treatment begins after the diagnosis, when they take the patient under their care. As a matter of fact it has begun long before that; in many cases with the first look. In a sense the two personalities generally meet even long before the patient enters the consulting-room, or the doctor walks into the sickroom. Much good or harm may be done by the pre-The pre. liminary liminary correspondence. correspondence. We will just glance at this under a few leading heads: 1. Who writes? Generally it is the patient herself (in this book, though not in all functional nerve-cases, the patient is a female) or her friend or relation, or the doctor in charge. Indeed, it is difficult to see who else it could be. In the two former cases all that is needed IS Ask lor an appointment card giving day and hour of the case, interview. In ...