Nathan Carlin is Professor in the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA, where he holds the Samuel Karff Chair.

Introduction. Part One: Two Traditional Representatives. 1.Richard Selzer: Three Troubling Tales of Physicians' Peculiar Behavior 2.Oliver Sacks: A Kind of Reminiscence. Part Two: Three Contemporary Favorites. [...] Klass: Books Are Like Stethoscopes. 4.Abraham Verghese: The Power of Storytelling. [...] Gawande: Doctoring, Dying, and the Pursuit of "Better". Part Three: Medicine, Meaning, and Identity. 6.Danielle Ofri: Offering Lessons for All. [...] Kalanithi: Sometimes, They Break-Craft as a Window. 8.Joanna Cannon: Leaving Medicine to Pursue a Physician's Calling. [...] Tweedy: Stories on Being Black, Sick, and Marginalized. [...] Joudah: An Exploration of Borders and Boundaries. 11.Louise Aronson: Using Facts and Stories to Improve Medical Care for Older Adults. [...] Agronin: Into the Heart of Growing Old. Part Four: Alternative Models. [...] Watts and Frank Huyler: A Tale of Two Patients, 14.Siddhartha Mukherjee: Tending and Extending-The Long and Short of Siddhartha Mukherjee. 15.Arthur Kleinman: Professional Caregiving Narratives Become Personal