The Sexual Life of Man: By Dr. Placzek. Translation revised by W. C. Rivers, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.P.H. (John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, London. Pp. xv + 233. Price 10 s. 6 d.)

So long as the author is content to follow the older writers in his descriptive sections, dealing with the anatomy and physiology of the sexual organs or with sexual aberrations, he is a useful guide. Those engaged in psycho-analytic practice may find it useful to have a brief descriptive catalogue of the commonly recognized sexual perversions. It is a pity that the author did not keep to the opinion expressed in the preface, that psycho-analytic interpretations are not worth criticism. His criticisms, though vigorous in language, are not very illuminating. Dealing with the sexual life of the child, he remarks that

onanistic movements in children do not constitute onanism except in very exceptional cases.

Again:

The alleged universal incestuous inclination of the child is absolutely unfounded; still, there is no doubt that parental, brotherly, and sisterly love may be sub-consciously erotic.

It is phantastic of Freud, he considers, to attribute all functional neuroses to the 'evil influence of sexual trauma'. It is odd how many