Book reviewsSPEECH DISORDERS: Aphasia, Apraxia and Agnosia. By

Russell Brain. (Pp. v+ 184; 24 figures. 42s.). London:Butterworths. 1961.

Lord Brain's book comes aptly as a distinguished cele-bration for the centenary of Broca's historic pronounce-ment on the seat of articulate language. For he does notonly retrace the steps of past investigators floundering ina mass of intriguing but obscure clinical discovery normerely bring his great experience and critical judgmentto bear on the facts as they present themselves today.These pious duties he certainly performs. But as well hetakes us exploring with him in that attractive, perilousregion where physiology,faute de mieux hypothetical, triesto link psychological fact with anatomical structure. Sohis book is lively, suggestive, and forward-looking, aworthy successor in the lineage of Jackson, Head, andPick. Like Head he has sought inspiration in contem-porary neurophysiology; like Pick, in psychology. Hisown additions to these aids to constructive thought aresome ofthe recent developments of quantitative linguisticsand communication theory. 'The task of the future,' hewrites, 'is to use all the available modern methods ofpsychological testing, linguistics, phonetics and communi-cation theory, to correlate psychological with physiologi-cal functions.' Such foresight and faith in regard to trendsnot always familiar to the clinician might be unexpecteddid we not already know that Lord Brain's interests inlanguage happily extend very far beyond its pathology.That for the present not even he can explain in very muchdetail the potential contribution of these new disciplinesto an understanding of dysphasia emphasizes rather thandetracts from the author's foresight.

Faith is needed, too, when we turn to the particularconcepts he uses in his interpretation of the physiologicalbackground to linguistic behaviour, expecially the notionof the schema. This notion, since its original introductioninto neurology by Henry Head, has found wide applica-tion in psychology, especially by Bartlett and his followers.But in all its varied uses the central idea has been to allowreference to types of process-organization which moreelementaristic terms, such as independent reflexes or dis-crete images or memory traces, fail to define. It has servedat least to transform merely negative propositions aboutthe physiological concomitants of perception, bodily skill,memory, and thinking into positive, if hypothetical,terms. So, for instance, to take but one example from thefield of language, we find that any single word retains itscommunicational efficacy despite a manifestly enormousrange of variety in the physical characteristics of differentutterances of it. This must mean that the physiologicalprocess corresponding to hearing and understanding theword cannot be defined in terms of any fixed set of ele-ments, however numerous. The neural mechanismsinvolved must incorporate a set of criteria in accordancewith which the word is identified as this one or that one,and the further processes appropriate to each initiated.

To coin the term schema to refer to the essential elementin such situations was a brilliant stroke of Henry Head's,although he never explicitly introduced it into his dis-cussions of aphasia. This omission has been repairedcogently and enthusiastically in this book.The author does not, however, deceive either himself or

us into thinking that a terminological convenience itselfcan unlock the physiological secrets of language. If theconcept of schema is to survive and flourish, it will have tobe given internal structure and articulation so that it canbe applied in detail to specific empirical issues. More-over, the terms in which this is done should derive fromsomething of which we have understanding in other con-nexions. No immediate appeal to the properties of knownphysiological systems seems practicable. The presentreviewer has tried, with particular reference to the prob-lems of memory, to interpret the schema in terms of theprinciples which apply to the re-coding and decoding ofstored information. With regard to language, Brain makesa rather different and extremely interesting suggestion,best stated in his own words. 'The r6le of the schema isthus the means by which a large number of variablestimuli elicit the same response, and I have suggested thatthe schema works by automatically calculating the proba-bility that a stimulus possesses a certain set of properties.'Such a suggestion, though needing further elucidation,makes it possible to conceive how a concept of schemamight be brought directly to bear upon the statistical andother quantitative facts of actual linguistic behaviour andits disorders. It might seem possible, in fact, that by thisconvergence of the lines of thought of clinical neurology,psychology, and quantitative linguistics, some real pro-gress may at last be made towards a real understanding ofaphasia. This is a book which demands careful study.Though he strikes out into fresh territory, Brain does

not neglect to provide a well-balanced treatment of thewhole field of disorders of speech and of those other highlevel functions which, in regard to their pathology, aretraditionally grouped with it. There are very serviceable,if brief, accounts of the apraxias and agnosias, and chap-ters on examination, prognosis, and treatment. Thepicture is completed by a summary of the developmentaldisorders of speech. The book as a whole is an enlarge-ment of the author's article in the second edition ofKinnier Wilson's Neurology. There is little doubt thatvery many people who would be unlikely to read Wilsonwill have cause for gratitude to Lord Brain for making histhoughts available in independent book form.

R. C. OLDFIELD

HENRY HEAD CENTENARY. Essays and Bibliography byK. W. Cross, R. A. Henson, M. Critchley, and SirRussell Brain. (Pp. 41. 3s.). London: Macmillan &Co. 1961.

This modest volume reprints four of the principal papersread at the Henry Head Centenary Celebrations at the

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have varied in their style, in that, while the majority havepresented techniques in great detail, others have given amore superficial review of their subject and relied on crossreferences to original papers.The style of presentation and writing restricts the use of

this volume to that of a reference text but it should befound on the shelves of every reference library and everylarge department of medical research. It will be of specialinterest to pharmacologists, neurologists and neurophy-siologists, and gastroenterologists.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF ELECTROENCEPHA-LOGRAPHY. By Lever F. Stewart. (Pp. 55; 29 figures.40s.) Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas; Oxford:Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd. 1962.

In 54 pages this small book fulfils its claim to be an intro-duction to the principles of electroencephalography. Itdeals simply and clearly with the electrical and physio-logical background to the electroencephalogram. Thephysiological and biochemical variants that are likely toalter the record are mentioned, and the usefulness andlimitations of the procedure are discussed in a sensible andbalanced fashion. The problem of artifarcts, both thoseintrinsic to the machine and those from outside, are alsomentioned briefly but adequately. The specialized phrase-ology of electroencephalography is explained and illustra-ted and in discussing the various wave forms and frequen-cies the author mentions the settings in which they occur.The technique and theory of localizing abnormalities byphase reversal is outlined. Finally the application of thesevarious aspects of the subject is further illustrated in asection on the cerebral electrical patterns associated withepilepsy. The result is an excellent introduction to thesubject. Medical students and general physicians, if theyread these pages attentively (for they include a great dealof information) and look at the illustrative electroenceph-alogram records, will be able to converse knowledgeablywith electroencephalographers. As a result they will beable to contribute much more useful and relevant infor-mation for the interpretation of the records and getcorrespondingly more out of them. It is a great pity thatthe publishers did not seek some method of reducing theprice of the book, for at £2 it will be beyond the purse ofmost students.

AN ATLAS OF DETAILED NORMAL PNEUMOENCEPHALOGRA-PHIC ANATOMY. By Giovanni Di Chiro. (Pp. xi+ 328.283 figures. £7.12s.) Springfield, Illinois: Charles C.Thomas. 1961.

The author, by using the technique of fractional encepha-lography 'ad modum Lindgren' together with lamino-graphy (tomography) of midline structures, has carefullycompiled an atlas of some 283 illustrations of normalintracranial anatomy as revealed by air studies. The repro-ductions are of excellent clarity and, besides depictingpoints of ventricular anatomy, are particularly compre-hensive in illustrating the outlines of the various cisternsand cerebral sulci, which are one of the newer develop-ments of neuroradiology. The atlas does not attempt todescribe the principles or techniques of ventricular andcisternal filling, but refers to the papers of Lindgren and tothe classical monographs of Davidoff and Dyke. An

London Hospital in August 1961, namely those by K. W.Cross, R. A. Henson, Macdonald Critchley, and SirRussell Brain. The bibliography adds special value to theneurologist and most will wish to have this volume.

BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR, Vol. I: Proceedings of the FirstConference 1961. Edited by Mary A. B. Brazier. (Pp.433; 151 figures. $7.75.) Washington: AmericanInstitute of Biological Sciences. 1962.

Dr. Freemont-Smith, who directed this conference, ismost insistent on the need for the collaboration of scien-tists from several disciplines for the advancement ofscience. This conference was specially concerned withstudying the processing of the afferent systems, thesomatic, the auditory, and the visual. An enormousamount of valuable information is discussed, and the pur-pose of the conference seems to have been fullv achieved.

NEUROSES: INTERNATIONAL PSYCHIATRIC CONGRESS, 1959.Edited by 0. Janota and E. Wolf. (Proceedings inRussian and English; 30s.) London: Collets. 1962.

This volume contains the scientific papers which werepresented at an international psychiatric congress held inCzechoslovakia in 1959. The main theme of the congresswas neurosis and the papers are grouped into threesections, dealing respectively with the theory, psychopath-ology, and treatment of neurotic disorders. These topics,which all lend themselves to controversy and speculation,provided the small group of participants from the Westerncountries and the much larger group from Eastern Europewith an opportunity to confront each other with severalsharp contrasts in concept and practice. The full extent ofthese differences will be obscured for most readers of thepublished proceedings by the way in which the material ispresented, for the papers appear in either English orRussian, with a brief summary in the alternative language.Only a small minority of English-speaking readers will,in consequence, be able to savour the Russian polemic on'The Ideological Struggle with Contemporary Freudism'(p. 171) or the details of 'Active-Complex-Psychotherapy'as practised by a self-styled 'intransigent, uncompromis-ing anti-Freudian' (p. 291); by the same token it may beassumed that most Russians will remain uncertain of theanswer to the question, 'Am I Anthropomorphic?', posedby a prominent American participant (p. 47). Nonethelessthe book testifies to an interesting occasion.

METHODS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH, Vol. 9. Edited by J. H.Quastel. (Pp. xiv+460; illustrated. 81s.) Chicago:Year Book Medical Publishers; London: IntersciencePublishers. 1961.

This, the ninth volume to be published in this series, con-tains 40 articles by experts in their fields on a wide varietyof subjects. They are sub-divided into four sections: (i)enzyme methods in clinical diagnosis and investigation;(ii) pharmacologically active substances and chemicalactivity of the nervous system; (iii) intestinal absorptionand metabolism; and (iv) electrical recording from thenervous system. No one person can be qualified to reviewcritically all these aspects of research but it is obvious tothe reader that a tI emendous amount of valuable data andinformation on methods has been included. The authors

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omission in this respect is lack of reference to the pioneer-ing work on fractional encephalography of GraemeRobertson in 1941, which has been acknowledged by theSwedish school of which the author is a pupil. The atlas,howevei, should prove useful to any radiologist, neurolo-gist, or neurosurgeon, as well as to any anatomist, whowishes to have for ready reference in a convenient form acollection of normal air encephalograms showing thevarious details including minutiae which this investigationcan reveal.

ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY AND CEREBRAL TUMOURS By0. Magnus, W. Storm van Leeuwen and W. A. Cobb.(Pp. 250; illustrated Dfl. 45.) Amsterdam: ElsevierPublishing Co. 1962.

This book contains 14 separate papers related to electro-encephalographic changes and procedures in localizedcerebral lesions, especially tumours. Although they arelabelled as chapters, there is no attempt to link the paperstogether, and no unifying theme appears in the book. Thepapers vary in quality, but most contain some usefulpractical points and many have theoretical discussions ofconsiderable interest. The book will be useful as a refer-ence for those working on the electroencephalography oforganic cerebral lesions. It is too specialized for clinicalneurologists or for the average E.E.G. recordist, and tooclinical for the wider audience of neurophysiologists.

ENCEPHALITIDES. Proceedings of a Symposium on theNeuropathology, Electroencephalography and Bio-chemistry of Encephalitides, Antwerp, 1959. Edited byL. van Bogaert, J. Radermecker, J. Hozay, and A.Lowenthal. (Pp. xiii+ 721; illustrated. £8.) Amsterdam:Elsevier Publishing Company; London: D. van Nost-rand. 1961.

The first section of this volume contains 62 papers on theneuropathology of various types of encephalitis, classifiedunder the headings of arthropod-borne, rabies, herpes,post-influenzal, post-vaccinal and post-exanthematous,necrotizing, subacute sclerosing, panencephalitis, atypicalcases, and encephalomyelitis associated with tumours,granulomas and reticuloses. The presentation is mainlyin the form of case reports which include the clinical and,in many instances, the E.E.G. findings. The text is verywell illustrated. The shorter second section of 13 papersconcerns immunological investigations, chemical alter-ations, and electrophoretic findings in the blood andC.S.F. Finally, there are valuable summaries and syn-theses given by van Bogaert, Haymaker, Jacob, Rader-mecker, and Lowenthal.

This symposium brought together the leading investi-gators who have made encephalitis their special study,and their contributions form the most comprehensiveaccount of these diseases yet available in English.

This is an indispensable work of reference for theneuropathologist and will also be of the greatest interestto neurologists who wish to keep abreast with modemtrends of thought in this complex subject.

AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHIATRY, 2nd ed. By MaxValentine. (Pp. 324; 15 figures. 21s.) Edinburgh,London: E. and S. Livingstone. 1962.

This is the second edition of one of the many primers ofpsychiatry. The author has contrived with some efficiencyto compress a great deal into a readable text of less than300 pages. Apart from an outline of the principal psychi-atric syndromes and their treatment there are chapters on'A Historical Perspective', 'Mind and Body', 'TbeEmotions', 'Clinical Psychology', and 'Forensic Psychia-try', along with an appendix ofnine psychiatric interviews.A book of this type, which contains a little of every-

thing, may serve to help introduce or revise the subject-matter of psychiatry for the medical student or thegeneral practitioner. The informed reader, however,aware that the material and implications of psychiatry arealready too large and are growing too quickly for satis-factory treatment on so small a scale, will baulk at theinevitable string of bare and often questionable assevera-tions. A therapeutic judgment-'Controlled trials . . .

produce clear evidence that anti-depressant drugs canexert more than a placebo response'; a psychopathologicalformulation-' . . (projection) arises when the "perceptualset" developed in response to an emotional or instinctualdrive is ego-rejected; the activity of the drive leaks intoconsciousness and is misinterpreted as coming from with-out rather than from within'; a definition-'The psycho-path is a person with a built-in personality disorder'. Histhird edition may provide Dr. Valentine with the space todiscuss such questions more adequately. He will also beable to remove thalidomide from his list of 'less toxic'hypnotics.

HENDERSON AND GILLESPIE'S TEXTBOOK OF PSYCHIATRY, 9thed. Revised by Sir David Henderson and Ivor R. C.Batchelor. (Pp. xii+578; 42s.) London: OxfordUniversity Press. 1962.

A Scottish professor of psychiatry has recently written ofthis book: ' . . . I believe that it has been the greatest singleinfluence in the formulation of the modern point of viewin psychiatry both in Britain and America. Although it isusually thought of as deriving chiefly from Adolf Meyer'spsychobiological teaching, it was also the first thorough-going introduction into English of the Kraepelinianclassification'. This is a strong claim, even after due allow-ance has been made for patriotic fervour. A ninth editionargues in favour of continued popularity but it is neces-sary to bear in mind the poor quality of the early Anglo-American textbooks of psychiatry, to many of whosestudents the fundaments of clinical psychiatry were barredby the mysteries of the German language. During the lastdecade, however, the late Dr. Mayer-Gross and hiscolleagues have brought something of the full breadth anderudition of classical descriptive psychiatry to the Englishreader who has in consequence been compelled to re-evaluate the older textbook. In the sphere of formalpresentation it undoubtedly suffers by comparison: aglance at the sections on 'puerperal' psychoses or the'neuroses and psychoses in association with subnormality'in both volumes may be taken to illustrate the differences.

Despite some revision and additional material thebook's original structure remains clearly recognizable: itis a process of face-lifting rather than one of reconstruc-tion which has been achieved. In the chapter on 'AffectiveReaction Types', for example, the authors continue to

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quote MacCurdy and to defend the independent status ofinvolutional melancholia. Their idiosyncratic approach topsychopathy is unchanged and after admitting in thepreface that the omission of several case histories hasbeen'. . . Iike bidding goodbye to old friends to whom onehas been greatly attached' they retain nonetheless 67 'oldfriends', seven of whose histories still make up two-thirdsof the chapter on 'Paranoid Reaction-Types'. In what,then, does the merit of the book consist? Partly in itscommon-sense approach to clinical problems in theirsocial setting, as befits the Meyerian tradition. And partlyin the personal quality of the writing which endows thetext with a characteristic style and some very individualpoints of view. Perhaps the distinctive quality of the bookis to be detected in the section devoted to 'OccupationalTherapy', still significantly retained as a separate chapter.Quoting with approval from William Jones' homily onthe benefits of habitual hard work, the authors comment:'We would suggest that the above stated philosophy ofwork confirms the core of healthy living.' 'Henderson andGillespie' remains a very Scottish textbook of psychiatry.

IV. INTERNATIONALER KONGRESS FUR NEUROPATHOLOGIE,4-8 Sept. 1961, Miinchen. Proceedings, Edited by Prof.Dr. H. Jacob. Vol. I. Histochemie und Biochemie. (Pp.ixxvi+256; 146 figures. DM 58.) Vol. 11. Elektronen-mikroskopie und Zellbiologie. (Pp. xii+ 305; 237figures. DM 70.) Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag.1962.

These two volumes, together with a third yet to be pub-lished, comprise the full proceedings of the importantIV International Congress of Neuropathology held inMunich in September, 1961.

In Volume 1, dealing with biochemistry and histochem-istry, the prominence of these subjects at the congress isapparent. The range of problems for which histochemicaltechniques are now being used is surprising. Not onlynormal and diseased nervous tissue but also the effects ofdrugs acting on the cerebrum are being investigated.Volume 11 deals with electron microscopy and tissue

culture. Electron microscopy applied to the study of thenervous system is still at the stage where the majority ofstudies reveal original observations. The difficulties oftenlie in the relation of observations to those gleaned byother techniques.From the quality, number, and scope of the papers on

tissue culture, an impressive advance in techniques is atonce evident. Work of striking importance is based on theability to produce regularly the myelination of nerve fibre,a technique which is being extensively used in the study ofdemyelinating processes.

Professor Jacob is to be congratulated on the prompteditorship of these volumes which are magnificently re-produced with abundant illustrations.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LONDON CONFERENCE ON THESCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MENTAL DEFICIENCY (1960).Volumes I and ll. (Pp. ix+690; illustrated. 45s. each.)Dagenham: May & Baker. 1962.

In recent years there has been a great increase of interestin the problems of mental deficiency which are amenableto scientific study. Thus there is a constant search for in-

born errors of metabolism and for chromosome aberra-tions. It has also become apparent that a study of learningprocesses even in imbeciles may throw light on brainmechanisms. It may thus become possible to transforminstitutions used simply for custodial care into thrivingcentres of research, and this would bring a new spirit intoa somewhat depressing field of medicine. These volumesreport the proceedings of a London conference held in1960. There were British and American committees con-cerned with the programme and over 130 speakers tookpart. The organizers are to be congratulated on the vastamount of information contained in these volumes.

PLANNING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HOSPITAL FOR THEMENTALLY SUBNORMAL. By Guy Aldis (Pp. 193;illustrated 80s.) London: Isaac Pitman. 1962.

As we enter a period of rapid hospital expansion we mustbe prepared for experiment and trial and error in hospitalbuilding. It is important that we learn from our mistakesand that the stereotyped prefabricated approach, whichwill finally be needed on economic grounds, is held off(equally on economic grounds) until we know more aboutthe problems. This applies especially to mental deficiencyhospitals, because they have been sadly neglected in thepast. Their problems are increased also by the very widerange of cases they must deal with, from the mildly sub-normal, whose social circumstances require admission, tothe severely ill patient.

This volume outlines the practical architectural prob-lems and suggests some solutions. Such hospitals willinevitably have to have much separate accommodation,of the villa and hostel type, and, if all ages are to becatered for (and this may not be the best way of dealingwith the problem), then some age segregation as well.This will produce special problems in communication,especially for central supply services. The problems are,even more than in a general acute hospital, those of townplanning rather than house planning.

Although details of rooms, villas and individual servicesare fully treated, the important intercommunicationproblem seems rather less well dealt with. Two smallerpoints: there seem to be no staff rooms in the villas,which will sooner or later prove a disadvantage, and thecombined use of rooms for visitors and physiotherapy willlead to difficulties.

This is however an important and interesting book.Important because of the problems it deals with and theirrelevance for the future of medicine, and interestingbecause what it lacks is probably due quite as much tolacunae in medical as in architectural thinking.

DISORDERS OF THE DEVELOPING NERVOUS SYSTEM. By W. S.Fields and M. M. Desmond (Pp. 567; illustrated. 136s.)Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1962.Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 1961.

In the first part of this symposium several researchscientists present various experimental studies. These in-clude the differing effects of foetal radiation at variousintervals after gestation; the effects of viral agents; theeffects of anoxia and other perinatal influences. Thesecond section of this volume is concerned with the patho-genesis and treatment of hydrocephalus.

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CEREBRAL APOPLEXY Types, Causes, Pathogenesis. ByPhilip Schwartz, M.D. (Pp. vii+ 140; 35 figures. 52s.)Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 1961.

This is a scholarly and detailed review of work done on themechanism and causes of cerebral apoplexy during thelast century. It was written before the demonstration ofcirculating fibrin-platelet emboli from damaged arterialwalls. The author considers that there are pathologicallyfour types of apoplexy: I embolic, 2 atherosclerotic-thrombotic, 3 hypertensive due to local disturbances ofarteries and arterioles, and 4 those occurring in stenosingathero-sclerosis without hypertension. He weighs the evi-dence and, apart from cases of mycotic, congenital, andtraumatic aneurysms, dismisses rupture of sclerosedarteries as a mechanism of apoplexy. He then bringsforward evidence from his own extensive experience thatsmall multiple foci of cerebral softenirig due to occlusionscoalesce to form the large cerebral haemorrhage foundfinally in many cases of all four types of apoplexy.However, he argues strongly against the view that mech-anical occlusion followed by ischaemic tissue destructionliberates metabolites which cause stasis and hyperaemia.He considers, on the contrary, that the occlusion sets upneurogenic vasomotor disturbances which result in stasisand then tissue destruction. He sees a similar mechanismin hypertension. The diseased arteries have abnormallylabile vasomotor control leading to arterial vasocon-striction and stasis. This is another version of the theoryof 'spasm' as the cause of hypertensive cerebral attacks.This is not really accessible to proof by patho-anatomicalinvestigation of necropsy material but requires a patho-physiological approach.

This monograph is a useful historical review. Theauthor's detailed observations on the macroscopic andmicroscopic anatomy of apoplexy are of lasting value andwill have to be accounted for in any theory of causation.However, some of his discussion of pathogenesis mayhave to be reconsidered, since fibrin-platelet emboli couldpossibly play a part in all of the four types of apoplexydiscussed.

SUPERSENSITIVITY FOLLOWING LESIONS OF THE NERVOUSSYSTEM. By G. W. Stavraky with foreword by WilderPenfield. (Pp. x+210; 41 figures. 80s.) Toronto: Univ-versity Press; London: Oxford University Press. 1962.

This is a most interesting monograph in which the authorcollects and discusses a vast array of phenomena bothperipheral and central in which damage to some part ofthe nervous system leads to a lower threshold of responseto diugs or other neuronal influences. Such observationshave many important applications in both clinical andlaboratory researches.

PSYCHOTHERAPY IN THE SOVIET UNION. Translated andedited by Ralph Winn. (Pp. 207; 30s.) London:Peter Owen Ltd. 1962.

One might suppose that this book would be mainly con-

cerned with applying Pavlovian techniques to psycho-therapy. This is not so. The general range of psychothera-peutic procedures, including hypnosis, suggestion, andreassurance, which are familiar in the West, are all repre-sented here. There are some interesting applications ofconditioning techniques-much on the lines of aversiontherapy. There is also a tendency to use Pavlovian termsto cover observations and procedures which in thiscountry would be formulated in other ways. But thistendency is not marked and much of the psychiatricphraseology used will be familiar to western readers. Insome ways it is disappointing that the thorough-goingapplication of Pavlovian technique, which in theory mightbe so rewarding in psychotherapy, does not seem to havebeen undertaken on any large scale.

DIE PFLEGE DER GEMUTS -UND GESTESKRANKEN, 7th ed.By W. Morgenthaler. (Pp. 366; 68 figures. DM 34.50.)Bern: Verlag Hans Huber. 1962.

This is the seventh edition of a well-known textbook ofmental nursing in the German language. Surprisinglycomplete in its scope, it takes in psychology, psychiatry,and a variety of social, legal, ethical, and historical issuesas well as specific nursing problems. Inevitably, in a bookof less than 400 pages, the tone is dogmatic and many ofthe opinions require qualification: it is stated flatly, forexample, that the patients' diet should consist mainly offruit, vegetables, cereals, and milk while meat and eggsshould be given three or four times weekly. In this countryno single book would now be regarded as sufficientlycomprehensive for psychiatric nurses but this one is awell-produced specimen of its type.

THE SENILE BRAIN. A clinical study. By R. S. Allison.(Pp. vi+ 288; 14 figures. 50s.) London: EdwardArnold. 1962.

This book is a clinical study of organic mental disordersof varied aetiology seen by the author over a number ofyears and is an interesting account of his approach to theproblem and the methods of examination which he hasfound most helpful. There is a detailed discussion of thedifferential diagnosis of focal and diffuse cerebral lesionsand of their differentiation from the affective disorders ofmiddle age. A well written account by an experiencedclinician of his approach to a common problem is alwaysof interest and this book is no exception.

CONGRESS OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGEONS

The twelfth annual meeting of the Congress of Neuro-logical Surgeons will be held in Houston, Texas, from31 October to 3 November, 1962. Further particularsfrom Dr. E. C. Weiford, 4706 Broadway, Kansas City 12,Missouri.

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