In the field of psychiatry, where there is a relative dearth of "generally accepted facts" and there are few procedures which are "standard," a textbook by a single author, or one written from a single point of view, would be regarded as incomplete by most, and as totally inadequate by many. A Handbuch, therefore, can fill a peculiar need in psychiatry, and this one does so quite adequately.
The authors who have contributed to it are outstanding in American psychiatry. The contents cover the whole range of psychiatry: history; theoretical formulations; methods of examination and interview; clinical, etiological, and therapeutic considerations of the psychoneuroses; the functional psychoses; psychopathic conditions; deviations; addictions; and organic conditions. There are essays on various aspects of "psychosomatic medicine," and on the psychiatric conditions peculiar to childhood and adolescence. There are extensive descriptions of the various psychotherapies, psychoanalytic therapies, and the physical therapies used in psychiatry.