Soma Weiss, Alfred S. Reinhart, and the Care of the Patient

Soma Weiss, a brilliant clinician, researcher, and teacher at Harvard Medical School, cared for Alfred S. Reinhart, who succumbed to subacute bacterial endocarditis in his final year at Harvard Medical School. Reinhart recorded his observations and experiences while a patient in the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory at the Boston City Hospital, and Weiss incorporated these in a paper some 10 years after Reinhart's death. In the tradition of Francis Weld Peabody, Weiss used Reinhart's memoir to emphasize the importance of listening to patients, of projecting sympathy, and of understanding and responding to their psychological needs.