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This book is a composite of the symposium workshop on the study and control of pain held in January 1975 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The 14 contributors are respected authorities in pain research and therapy. The volume presents a review of recent advances in the theory and treatment of pain from the perspective of medical and dental clinicians as well as that of psychologists and physiologists.
It points out the need for an organized multidisciplinary approach to the problem of pain. Mental health maintenance is emphasized as an important and often neglected aspect of the prevention of pain. Recent advances in the use of acupuncture, hypnosis, biofeedback, and behavior modification are also reviewed.
Melzack presents perspectives in the pathophysiology of pain, with an historical appraisal that leads to the gate theory of pain. He also focuses on the pressing need for