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D.P.M. Faber. 17s. 6d.
This book sets out to provide a concise and accessible body of knowledge about the fundamentals of psychiatry for the use of nurses and students. It certainly succeeds in this aim; it is well set out, has excellent diagrams of the nervous system and its subject matter is clear and arranged in an orderly systematic way which will make it easy to find and to understand. It is thus an excellent book of reference, as which no doubt it is primarily intended. These very qualities will, however, militate against its value as an introduction for newcomers to the subject; for the amount of material packed into its pages?which have nowadays to be printed so closely?and the author's concise style make continuous reading rather heavy. This is, perhaps, an inevitable defect. What is rather more serious is that the book pays less regard than is due to treatment, and gives little advice to the nurse or student as to the effect their own behaviour may have on the patient's "well-being. Nor is there much said about the sociological aspects of mental illness, although the publisher's cover recommends it to occupational therapists and probation officers.
Nevertheless, these are small criticisms of a book which is likely to be a valuable reference work, and deserves a place in the library of all nursing and medical schools. R.F.T.