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This is, in the most directly personal way, a book about a doctor and a patient.
The author, the doctor, an analytically trained professor of psychiatry met the patient 14 years ago at the Los Angeles County Hospital. Upon the patient's request and because she made a personal impression on him, he, being at the time Chief of the Inpatient Psychiatric Service
at The Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles Medical Centre (UCLA), had her transferred to his department for treatment there. For seven years she was treated by other staff members, but seven years ago he took over her treatment himself.
The patient, Mrs G., a white, divorced housewife in her 30s, was a most unusual woman. She broke almost all of society's rules: she shot several men—not shot at, but shot—one of them, a policeman, 'was shot in the ass'; another man she shot with a rifle in both thighs (her aim was his genitals), in the side, the shoulder and the arm, whereupon she went out and shot up his car which he was very fond of. By sheer chance none of the men died. She committed armed robbery at six petrol stations, extremely dangerous enterprises since the personnel is very often armed and ready to shoot. However, she got away with it unharmed and was not arrested. She stole three cars (one arrest); wrote bad cheques (two arrests); was the subject of two pornographic movies; had innumerable sexual relations with men (including family members such as her grandfather and an uncle); had over 20 homosexual affairs; four marriages by the age of 23; five illegitimate pregnancies (no legitimate); addiction to amphetamine six different times with two drug psychoses; mainlining and sniffing of heroin, but without addiction; association with motorcycle gangs, criminals, drug pushers and corrupt policemen; over 30 moving traffic violations, drag racing and many serious vehicle accidents (with no driver's licence).
Along with this impressive series of