Henry Head (1861-1940) is best known for his work on the physiology of sensation, and especially for the famous experiment on nerve division he undertook with his collaborator, W.H.R. Rivers. Head was also the author of a major work on aphasia and kindred disorders that appeared in 1926. Throughout his life, Head combined his scientific and clinical interests with a passion for the arts and in particular for literature. He translated the poems of Heinrich Heine into English and published a volume of his own verse. Head’s literary acquaintances included the novelist, Thomas Hardy. During the First World War, Head abandoned private practice so that he could devote himself to the treatment of wounded soldiers. In the course of this work, Head came across many “functional” cases where although there was no apparent organic injury the patient had suffered a breakdown as a result of the stress of combat. Among the “shell shocked” officers that Head encountered were two poets, Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) and Robert Nichols (1893-1944). Head’s relationship with these two quickly developed beyond a purely professional one and they were to remain friends long after the war. The talk will focus in particular upon the way in which Head’s interaction evolved from one of doctor and patient to one in which Nichols came to claim a psychological expertise of his own. The talk will also consider how Head made use of a shared interest in literature in a clinical context in order to achieve therapeutic results.