TY - JOUR T1 - Every contact leaves a trace JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 512 LP - 512 DO - 10.3399/bjgp21X717569 VL - 71 IS - 712 AU - David Mummery Y1 - 2021/11/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/71/712/512.abstract N2 - A few years ago I was on holiday when I briefly got chatting with a fellow tourist — a kind police officer — by the pool, who had been and was still working his way through ‘burnout’, relating to his work.He had written a book about his experiences, which introduced me to what is known as ‘Locard’s Exchange Principle’1 and the fact that ‘every contact leaves a trace’. Although this principle is one of the founding concepts in forensics, in his book he related it to how every traumatic or emotionally difficult situation leaves a residue or emotional memory within you, no matter how small, and how this can build up, sometimes leading to burnout and other psychological consequences.‘Locard’s Exchange Principle’ in forensic science holds that the perpetrator of a crime will bring something to the crime scene and will leave with something from it;1 it was originally devised by the … ER -