Among the tributes to The Meaning of Persons were those in Theology ('Rich in experience . . . most helpful and stimulating'); in The Social Service Quarterly (`Sincerity, honesty and experience . . . the reviewing of this book has led to my having a spiritual experiehce'); and in Mental Health (`Of rare quality . . . his humility, charity and wisdom'). 'It is a book which a man should read, not only because it is of absorbing interest', said the Expository Times, and Dr Max Warren reviewed it as 'a brilliant study on how to help our contemporaries meet Christ'.

Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.