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It should be said at the outset that this book is not written for psycho-analysts or those familiar with psycho-analytical theory. Medical practitioners, specialists, and medical students are sure to find much to interest them in these pages and can learn from them how to handle their patients. It is made clear that such knowledge will benefit doctor and patients alike. Great stress is laid on the intimate interaction of physical and psychological mechanisms and reactions, and examples are given to illustrate the right and the wrong ways of talking to patients. Although the language and the illustrations are simple and clear, the author obviously expects his readers to accept concepts such as the unconscious and the castration complex as generally established. While this may be true for the United States, it is certainly not yet true for British doctors and students. On the other hand, even those who are unfamiliar with those concepts will gain much, and possibly will find curiosity sufficiently aroused to try to penetrate further into unknown territory.
The book is divided into two parts. The first deals with talking to adults, the second with talking to children. In the first part are set out basic points about the approach to patients, the way to get them to talk, and the paramount importance of listening to their talk rather than confining oneself to finding and treating the presenting illness. It is stressed that only by doing this can one hope to detect underlying psychological causes or repetitive patterns. Since it is impossible to go into details, only certain points of particular interest will be mentioned. Patients who are openly hostile when first seeing the doctor, as well as those who show signs of hidden anger, are discussed, and many valuable clues to such anger and hostility are given. The over-affectionate patient, too, is given his place in the discussion. Particularly worth mentioning are the pages dealing with the doctor who reacts w