Explains the act of prognosis in its varying forms - from the perspective of doctors. This book examines why physicians are reluctant to predict the future, what uses doctors make of prognosis, the symbolism it contains, and the practical and emotional difficulties it involves.

"How long do I have, doctor?" It's one of the most critical questions patients ask, yet doctors rarely want to discuss the answer out of reluctance to think about or predict the future. In this groundbreaking book, Nicholas A. Christakis explains prognosis from the perspective of physicians. His argument is impassioned. As Gina Kolata writes in the New York Times, "Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis . . . burns with a mission: to bring prognosis into what he sees as its rightful place in medicine." The result is a work that gets to the core of this nebulous medical issue that, despite its importance, is only partially understood and rarely discussed.