Foreword. Preface. About the author. Part one: The synoptic view of the consultation. Introduction. The puzzle and the picture: introducing the synoptic view. The doctor. The patient. The illness. The patient's story of the illness: fractals. The patient's story of the illness: narrative. The patient's story of the illness: somatisation. The doctor's story of the illness. The doctor - patient relationship. The three golden questions. Working with children. The social context of the doctor. The social context of the illness. The social context of the patient. The authority of the consultation. Part two: Consultations that go wrong: using the synoptic view as a diagnostic aid. Introduction. Dysfunction: the doctor. Dysfunction: the patient. Dysfunction: the illness. Dysfunction: the patient's story of the illness. Dysfunction: the doctor's story of the illness. Dysfunction: the doctor-patient relationship. Dysfunction: the social context of the doctor. Dysfunction: the social context of the illness. Dysfunction: the social context of the patient. Part three: Personal reflections on other models of the consultation. Models of the consultation. References. Index.