Die Psychischen Störungen Der Männlichen Potenz, Ihre Tragweite Und Ihre Behandlung: Von Dr. Maxim. Steiner, mit einem Vorwort von Professor Sigm. Freud (Third revised edition, 1926. Deuticke, Leipzig und Wien. 8vo, pp. xii+59. Price Gm. 2.40, Austrian Schilling 3.60.)

The author is a specialist in sexual disorders, not a psycho-analyst, but he realised that the approach usual to his branch of the profession would not lead to a full understanding of the causes and treatment of impotence without a study of the neuroses generally, and that these in turn could not be made intelligible without the help of psycho-analytical theory. His brochure is not directed to psycho-analysts so much as to his fellow-specialists, and is therefore a sketch of the psycho-analytic theory and method rather than a new contribution to our subject. He divides his cases into three categories: (1) Those in whom constitutional factors exercise a predominant influence, in whom there is an inferiority from birth, e.g. cases showing congenital syphilis, rickets, a tendency to adenoids and prolonged nocturnal eneuresis. These, he says, show a demonstrable sexual precocity, they are the childhood's neurasthenics, they never are children and never will be men, they show feminine traits and a prolonged puberty. In these the prognosis is unfavourable. (2) Cases in which the ætiological factor can be traced to the period of earliest childhood. In these the hereditary element is absent or slight, they have fixations at pre-genital stages of development. The prognosis with psycho-analytic treatment is usually favourable. (3) Lastly, cases in which the causative factors are to be traced to a later period in life, these are also fixations on the parents [but at the phallic stage presumably], and in these the prognosis with any form of psycho-therapy is favourable, but most of all by psycho-analysis.

These sub-divisions accord with those usually given by psycho-analysts. Let us now turn from the points in which readers of this JOURNAL will agree with the author to those in which differences of opinion are likely to arise. What touchstone shall we employ to test this unknown metal—his handling of the transference in the analytical situation? If there really is a