When meeting for the first time, doctor and patient experience much more than just an exchange of information and the conclusion of a contract. Between welcome and farewell quite a number of factors influence the mutual encounter between physician and patient. Beyond verbal comprehension and medical expertise the encounter can be conceptualised as a scene with stage, actors, and a more or less cohesive script.In medicine since ancient times, scenic aspects have been the topic of professional recommendations, of reflection and also of idealizing the doctor. The volume actualises this tradition and applies the concept of a scene as analytical instrument for approaching the dynamic aspects of the doctor-patient-relationship from interdisciplinary perspectives.
