Abstract

The underlying idea of this book is to show that the major concepts of holistic healing currently being discussed were introduced by a Swiss doctor, Paul Tournier, five decades ago. The writer will discuss the concepts introduced by Tournier into the fields of medicine, psychology and religion, with a primary emphasis on the concept of the whole person. A purpose of this text is to demonstrate that Tournier's career and a medical doctor and the author of many books was predicated on his belief in the ultimate value of the human person, believed by Tournier to be a unity of body, mind and spirit. ;The writer has undertaken to write this book because of an enduring interest in the life and career of Paul Tournier as it has been revealed in the books he wrote. Although Tournier wrote many books and was internationally popular as a lecturer there is an apparent dearth of texts about him, its own books are now mainly out of print and hard to obtain, although a few of the best known are still available at major bookstores