Christof Wunderlich's book, The Mongoloid Child, mixes precise, established fact with his poetic license as an author and his deep feelings as the father of a youngster with Down's syndrome. While this sensitive combination serves him in good stead in his description of the role of the physician in the care of a child with Down's syndrome, it serves as a deterrent when he utilizes unproved medical means to assist the family in the growth and development of the child. He advocates the use of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements to improve their "physical condition" and also concludes that "their capacity noticeably increases." Similarly, he uses sociocultural methods such as early marriage and "reduction of women's occupational activities following marriage" in lieu of proved methods such as prenatal diagnosis and abortion as methods of decreasing the incidence of Down's syndrome. As a matter of fact, nowhere in his book does