The growing popularity of alternative therapies poses challenging questions for the medical establishment and the state. This book confronts these questions. The contributors, who are all experts in the fields of health care, social science and the law, focus on the relationship between patient and healer in both orthodox and non-orthodox forms of healing practice. The text considers whether different forms of healing involve different conceptions of the role and responsibilities of the healer, and deal with topical issues such as medical litigation, codes of ethics for complementary practitioners and co-operation between orthodox and complementary medicine.