Concepts of human behavior contribute at least as much to the physician's skills as his concepts of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, bacteriology, pharmacology, or pathology. The complaints of the patient rarely originate in biological disturbance alone, but rather include a liberal admixture of psychosocial dysfunction. Still, human behavior often baffles physicians far more than the most complex disturbances of anatomy or physiology. Too often, the most devastating organic disease is attacked with less fear and more enthusiasm than any maladjustment of the patient's social or psychological relationships.
Paul R. Miller of the Northwestern University Medical School has designed his new book, Sense and Symbol, to present human behavior with the same objectivity as the physician views other basic medical sciences. All systems of man's behavior, whether biological, psychological, or social, are viewed with the kind of comprehensive perspective the internist aspires to see. In his work with internists, Miller has gathered