Book excerpt: Foundations of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: The Bumpy Road to Specialization documents the development of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry from its inception to the present. The book draws on contributions from philosophy, physiology, psychoanalysis, epidemiology and other disciplines to define the broad scope of the field. Distinctions and similarities between Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine will be of interest to psychiatrists, social workers, and health psychologists, as well as students, residents, and fellows pursuing careers in these disciplines.