Psychiatry. A Short Treatise
- Author:
William O’Connor,
L.M.S.S.A. John Wright & Sons, Ltd., Bristol. 35s.
It is a little difficult perhaps when presented with a General Treatise, especially when the subject matter is Psychiatry, to see what anyone could find new to say. There already exist many good text books and a mass of other literature on the subject. The aim here, however, is not exactly anything new; it is rather to fill (effectively) a gap that exists in psychiatric literature and which has never really been properly filled, that this book has been compiled.
Actually the matter is not quite so simple as it sounds, for medicine like the law, speaks a language of its own. More so does this apply to Psychiatry?the difference being as great to a medical student as medicine is to a lay person. Moreover to cover the whole of psychiatry in any one volume is too much like trying to swallow the ocean at one sitting. This volume has anticipated, as far as it can, most of these difficulties. The theme, as it develops, is so framed that once one’s interest is aroused, the author, without ever abandoning us, shows the many intriguing paths still awaiting development and provides a continuous stimulus to our imagination and a challenge to further investigation.
The chapter on Analytical Therapy is bold, but well chosen. It draws attention to the fact that although the mechanists and the analysts continue along completely dissociated paths, yet in fact the two are slowly converging and in many cases are only using different terminology to describe similar conditions. Treatment is perhaps least discussed?possibly a wise step? as it is only through a thorough knowledge of human problems, inter-relationships and character differences that such should be attempted, and the subject and scope is such as can never be fully appreciated in such a volume.
The Author’s aims and hopes as mentioned in the Preface are, I believe, fully realized and I can recommend this treatise in the belief that it will have a wider circulation than is at first suggested.
The book is most suited, perhaps, to those who having a certain familiarity, profess an interest in psychiatry and who claim something more which is readable and instructive, and who will then turn to other specialized sources of information. It is a generalized survey of Psychiatry as the name implies, and in its concept is refreshingly alive to the present possibilities and problems. The form of lay-out follows, more or less, the traditional style. Special emphasis, however, is paid to the sequence so that each page prepares one for what is to follow, logically, well reasoned and clearly formulated. Particular stress is given to cause and effect ; symptoms are not just tabulated to be accepted or forgotten, rather every stage follows upon a clear exposition of psychopathological processes in its relation to symptoms and diagnosis. The subject matter is remarkably comprehensive, but at the same time is so worded that the major issues stand out clearly. Closer reading, however, unearths a wealth of valuable additional matter. The author is writing from a clinical standpoint, drawing from a wide personal experience, both of mental hospital and extra mural work. It is not surprising, therefore, that it is a more intimate study of the finer innuendoes of mental illness than can be achieved in more formal works. R.B.M.
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