The authors of this handbook are substantially faithful to their stated purpose expressed in the preface, namely, that this book is "a valuable increment of the library of the physician and the medical student." The integration into the practicing physician's armamentarium of the modern concepts in the field of psychiatry will enhance his diagnostic, as well as his therapeutic, skill.
The chief merit of this book is in its comprehensive coverage, as well as in its simplicity and clarity of presentation.
Compressed into brief chapters are the salient features of such subjects as "Heredity and Mental Disease," "Structure of Personality" and "Defense Mechanism of Personality."
Uniquely, there are included such provocative discussions as the chapters on "Psychosomatic Medicine" and "Mental Hygiene." The latter subject, although dealt with somewhat tentatively, opens a vast field for exploratory investigation, with promises of fruitful results. It is impressive that the sociologic and environmental factors