Preface

Topics in Primary Care Medicine provides readers with an overview of several topics in the broad field of frontline medical care ranging from the treatment of chronic diseases, to the role of surgery in primary care, to a look at patients and physicians in graphical art. The challenges facing primary care clinicians are highly varied, as clinicians in this specialty are responsible for a wide range of knowledge on the fundamental health needs of individuals, families, communities, and the global population. Primary care is rightly called "primary" because it addresses the most basic and fundamental medical needs facing individuals. While no single textbook can address all of these challenges, this book offers an in-depth review of several important topics to enrich readers with a greater understanding of the broad topic of human health and well-being.

**II**

**Chapter 8 125**

Visual Pathologies: The Semiotics of the Patient and the Practitioner

in Comics

*by Jonathan Comyn de Rothewelle*

#### **Thomas F. Heston, MD, MSc, FAAFP, FASNC, FACNM**

Clinical Associate Professor, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA

**1**

Section 1

Primary Care
