Alfred Ziegler examines asthma, skin disease, heart attacks, anorexia, rheumatism, and chronic pain from a psychological perspective. According to his view, humanity's nature is neither natural nor healthy, but rather, afflicted and chronically ill. In this way he challenges the philosophical basis of traditional medicine, exposes its shadow, and charges that the current excessive interesting in health betrays our nature. All of this is done in a clear and elegantly simple style that is packed with case examples and medical data.