ABSTRACT
As a medical student I appreciated the opportunity to regularly assist a famous psychiatrist, Eberhard Schorsch, at the Institute of Sex Research at Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany. At that time in his career, Dr. Schorsch was almost exclusively active in forensic psychiatry. He saw the most extraordinary people who had committed serious crimes, in order to prepare psychiatric expert evaluations for courts. During his examinations of criminals, for example, who had committed sexual murders, he enabled his patients to talk by being reserved, treading softly, and listening attentively. The patients themselves, their lawyers, the courts, and the public often became aware of the motives for and circumstances of the patients’ horrible deeds, and the psychiatrist was admired for his capacity to create such insight.
