Edited by R S Downie Oxford Oxford University Press, 2000

“The essence of the arts is that they speak directly to us”, and so the readers of this anthology of poetry, prose and music will each have a different experience. This is one of the reasons why the sciences that seek generalisability and reliability of observation are so complementary to the arts. Some readers will dip into the book in a chaotic way and find gems. Others will choose one of the important themes to focus upon, and a few will read from cover to cover. Yet it is not the comprehensiveness of coverage that will determine the experience of the reader. It is the remarkable interaction between an author who provides content, and the reader who provides unique context that results in a new experience with every piece

“Holistic” approaches to health and healing are elusive concepts because the word implies a total understanding of the subject and it is only the very arrogant or narrow minded who would ever lay claim to complete understanding of these subjects. Within medical circles holistic approaches usually imply a rejection of both mind/body dualism and the compartmentalisation of knowledge

Downie's anthology touches a very wide range of human experiences through the eyes …