I would have given five stars if this had been mostly about the photographs (which are superb), and I would have given five stars if this had been mostly about the case studies - both these elements were wonderful. I was also really interested in how Berger saw Sassall's relationship with his patients, how he felt he needed to imagine what it was like to be them, to almost become them, and also the essay on anguish and how it takes us back to childhood.

I understand that all books are a product of the time they're written in, but the first problem for me was how male-centric Berger makes this book, and somehow I wouldn't have expected it of him. When Sassall's patients are discussed as a group they are the foresters - literally those who work with the trees in that part of the world, and male. (The female patients are sometimes mentioned in passing: unmarried girls who come to him when pregnant, women giving birth.) And when Berger compares doctoring with other professions, an artist for example, his examples are male. I simply tired of this after a while.

And secondly I had a bit of an issue with how Berger describes Sassall as so unique and important in the way he goes about his work (perhaps true), but in comparison to an 'average' patient, who 'expects to maintain what he has - job, family home.' I don't believe there was or is an average patient, and I don't believe that there weren't numerous 'foresters' who didn't aspire for something more.

www.clairefuller.co.uk