Text Book of Psychiatry
Henderson and uilnespie. 4tn Edition, 1936. Uxlord Medico P ublications. 18/-.
This excellent text-book is already well known to psychiatrists and students and has, within the space of ten years, reached its fourth editionIt has grown in scope but still strives to preserve its aim of keeping within the limits of a text-book suitable for general practitioners and of stimulating their interest in the subject of mental disorders.
In looking over the pages of the new edition one appreciates anew the clear-cut arrangement of the chapters, the big lines upon which the book has been planned and the clever exposition throughout of the biological viewpoint ox psychiatry. The book strives to keep through’ out a lively human interest in individual patients and puts the various types of mental disorder before the reader in case form. Though this is no novelty and has been done in even the earliest text-books on the subjects, still the cases are presented in such coloquial language and modern form that the types become arresting and will doubtless remain long in the memory.
The maniac-depressive chapter is particularly well done, also that on paranoia and here, as in other types, the writers describe the earlier phases and demonstrate to the student their gradual development, pointing out that mental disorders do not show themselves suddenly but give due warning. This teaching should lead to an early recognition of symptoms by the general practitioner, so that treatment can be Undertaken in good time. Too many generations of students have carried away from their lectures on psychiatry only ideas of the well-developed typical and chronic cases, the end-products of the malady. This has given them an outlook of hopelessness upon the treatment of mental disorders and they have therefore lost interest in the subject; they should on the contrary, after reading this book, look upon mental disorder as a most hopeful malady and one requiring their skill and sympathy.
There is a good chapter upon neurosis and psychoneurosis and also upon the psychiatry of childhood, which in these early days of Child Guidance Clinics will be found most useful to the student. The usual subjects that complete text-books are also to be found in this one, such etiology, methods of examination, legal matters, and so on.
If one could level a criticism it would be that a chapter might have been added upon laboratory methods and research that have been done Within the past 25 years or so, for only a few Words about this are scattered through the book. Also it seems hardly necessary to include a chapter on War neurosis which differs not at all from the ordinary neurosis except in its cause ?f the terrible and prolonged strain of war. Isabel Emslie Hutton, M.D.
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