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Within the wide range set by the title of his book Malan has accomplished a great deal. How has it been done? The first answer must be that Malan made use of a clear, well thought-out structure which he poured into the mould of twenty-three relatively short chapters. Next, it has been done by copious case illustrations, e.g. the Refugee Musician,
The Foster Son, The Mother of Four, The Depressed Tailor, The Carpenter's Daughter, etc., which are good captions by which to cross-reference the text and to hold the reader's attention. Further, his style is, in the main, colloquial. It seems as if the spoken word had become print. In ‘A note on how this book may be used’, Malan says: ‘I hope this book is entertaining enough to be read in sequence like a novel. But it can also be used for reference.’ This is no mean ambition, as every writer on related topics must know, and my examination of the book's structure and format is prompted by both curiosity as well as envy. Only occasionally does Malan's light touch slip as in the following passage: ‘In this case there will quite probably be no reason why intensive psychotherapy should not be undertaken—though the large probability that relatively severe depressive manifestations, including suicidal impulses, may develop under the influence of psychotherapy, would need always to be borne in mind.’ I quote this passage not only because it reads quite differently from any novel that has ever come my way, but because it is also reminiscent of the style adopted by medical textbooks.
By far the most important question is, of course: for whom has the book been written? For if the connection between concepts and practice can be taught, then this is the book most likely to succeed. The answer must be: ‘students’, but students at what stage? So that term must be qualified, because we know that nothing can be a substitute for the click that occurs when the actual meeting with a patient for whom one is responsible gives life and meaning