Hearing the patient's story, asking the right questions, and doing a careful, thorough and informed physical examination are intrinsic to good medicine. It is easy to rely and become dependent on technology to diagnose and to treat our patients. Yet, no machine will ever be a match for a listening ear and the laying on of hands. These skills are core to the art of medicine and require practice. It is only by becoming familiar with the norm that we can appreciate the norm. This book is a clinical skills textbook with a third dimension -- the human factor. We read about real people, real symptoms and real diagnostic problems. It doesn't waste time on rare physical signs that will never be encountered but instead, focuses on common, important clinical skills and symptom patterns.