Presenting the work of long time physician and teacher, this book provides a thorough investigation into medical error. It presents a short history of error in general across various domains of human activity, and then explores approaches used to investigate and ameliorate errors in medicine and other health sciences. The book also discusses whether dealing with errors is a learned skill and looks at how much of the problem with medical error is caused by the medical community's failure to teach and understand everything there is to know about medical error, including the often neglected importance of critical thinking skills. It also considers the physician's growing role in tort litigation.