[The doctor-patient relationship in the novel Thibault]

A masterpiece of the realistic novel, Les Thibault is a document of political and social life before and during the First World War. At the same time, it is a document of the status of medicine at the beginning of the 20th century. Roger Martin du Gard collected information on the diseases of the time, on medical deontology and on the doctor-patient relationship which is established during the medical encounter. The novel reflects the author's ability to transform a document into literary fiction. Antoine Thibault, who represents the ideal doctor, is able to create a perfect relationship with his patients, basing this on confidence. He also provides one of the literary models of a doctor practicing medicine from a sense of vocation.