Originally published in 1959, this book was written to assist medical students in viewing their child patients within a social context. It provides a framework within which trainee doctors can understand the broader needs of the patient, encouraging a more complex view of the medical environment than one limited to academic detachment. The book is divided into ten chapters, the first five chapters are devoted to broader environmental concerns, whilst the remainder are based around the direct relationship between the physician and the child. It will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of medicine, sociology or anthropology.