The Laying on of Hands is an in-depth examination of the intricate relationship in medicine that entwines patients, physicians, hospitals, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies. This book affirms the value of these relationships, discusses their characteristics, and how they are established and threatened. One only has to read the first few pages to appreciate that Dr. Ramsey Thorp is passionate about being a physician. Following in both his grandfather's and father's footsteps, Thorp became a doctor in 1970 and made a decision, as he writes, to always "connect mentally with the patient far beyond the scope of the examination" and to see patients exclusively in a "one-on-one setting."