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Healing the Hidden Hurt The emotional effects of children’s accidents by Dr Ellen Heptinstall. Child Accident Prevention Trust, Clerk’s Court, 18-20 Farringdon Lane, London EClR 3AU, 1996 (ISBN 872071 41 4). Illus. 31 pages. €8.50 post free.

A study of the need for and pro- vision of emotional support t o children who have had accidents is reported in this book. I t was felt that until now attention had been focused on physical injuries.

The one-year survey covered parents and children over eight years old at three hospital accident departments. Professional groups were questioned about their provi- sion of post-accident emotional support.

The findings are attractively set out with generous quantities of quotes and case histories, and illuminated with a few children’s drawings of their experiences.

The resulting recommendations

The Good News About Cancer: You CAN Survive! A serious handbook aimed at rapid recovery by B Richards and F Hourigan. Proman Publications Inc, PO Box 75, Sandwich, Kent CT13 9RT, 1995. 132pages. €4.99 (subsidised).

This book starts with a very odd and puzzling statement:

‘The information contained in this book is not knowingly or willingly to be disseminated to the public.’

The authors, who claim to know the cure for cancer, say the law of the land stops them from informing the public. I t appears that one or two publishers backed out from producing this book - one did so in case they were ‘jailed for infringing the Cancer Act’.

The first part of the book goes on in this same unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable vein.

The dedication page is also rather odd. It says that with great remorse the volume is dedicated t o the memory of many who have died but ‘to them we offer our belated and worthless apologies.. . from now on we promise things will be different’.

By the time the readers have reached chapter 1 they will either feel compelled to put the book back on the shelf or be curious and read

on, perhaps with the hope that the authors have really found the ‘Holy Grail’.

However, readers have their reassurance that this is a fight- ing manual and not just another ‘crackpot book full of weird incan- tations, worthless anecdotes and personal opinions, esoteric diets and hollow lies deemed up as promises’ - please note these are quotes not the reviewer’s words.

The authors describe themselves as two ordinary quiet researchers

with orthodox qualifications in science and medicine. The book is a report of their search into contem- porary and past records of cancer approaches.

It has three parts. Part 1 ‘Seeking the sword (the search for successes)’ deals with the history of some ancient and some lost approaches. It goes on to deal with treatments such as herbalism, diet, vaccine and vitamin therapy. I t includes other more unusual information on the trophoblast therapy, pan- creatic enzyme therapy and Gerson therapy.

Part 2 is entitled ‘Forging the sword (building the programme)’ and Part 3 is ‘Wielding the sword (using the programme)’.

I t is difficult to see where this book would fit into oncology education. An open mind is often a difficult thing to maintain for those who have gone through conventional medical oriented training, and i t would be needed for readers of this book.

It was quite the strangest of books to review and I apologise for the liberal use of quotes. This was due t o being in such unfamiliar territory resulting in being rather lost for words.

Lydia Gillham BA MCSP DipTP

Physiotherapy, September 1996, vol82, no 9