The authors begin this thought-provoking and sometimes clinically useful article with some statements that need to be questioned. They assert that the reason therapists are reluctant to touch the patient is the horror or fear of touching and the dislike that the therapist has for his own body. They argue that since the psychiatrist is trained to be a physician he should act like one and touch the patient. They also make the deduction that psychotherapy resolves itself into a relationship best subsumed under the word 'love'.

After some remarks on development and the importance of both touch and smell in the relationship between mother and infant, the specific clinical problem is taken up as to whether to shake hands with the patient. The authors conclude that with rare exceptions the patient need not be touched.