The author of this very significant study is the Goldman Smith Professor of Humane Studies at Cornell University and Professor of the History of Psychiatry at Cornell Medical College. In this connection, it should be noted that Gilman chairs both Jewish and German studies programs at Cornell. He is one of a rare breed of gifted scholars whose knowledge extends across many frontiers with a capacity for synthesis and lucid discourse. In this interdisciplinary investigation, he gathers information and insights from medicine and psychiatry, the humanities, and Jewish history.