The Psychiatric Novels of Oliver Wendell Holmes: Abridgement, Introduction and Annotation by Clarence P. Oberndorf, M.D. New York: Columbia University Press, 1943. 268 pp.

Dr. Oberndorf has done an interesting piece of work and one well worth doing. Oliver Wendell Holmes was known as a far-sighted and bold pioneer in many fields. He was also considered a 'wise' physician, a man who understood human nature. In literature he made his mark with his witty essays but his novels have been considered rather tedious and their basic ideas preposterous. It was for this reviewer, therefore, quite an illuminating experience to reread the three novels, Elsie Venner, A Mortal Antipathy and The Guardian Angel in the light of Dr. Oberndorf's observation that Holmes was indeed a pioneer in the field of psychiatry. The novels are replete with examples of Holmes's understanding of unconscious motives and drives, of retreat into a fantasy life, of phobias and the devastating effects of childhood experiences on the adult life of an individual. Elsie Venner is a brilliant study of a schizophrenic girl, A Mortal Antipathy a portrait of a severe phobia, and The Guardian Angel a study of multiple personality. In each of these three novels there is also an interesting picture of transference therapy.

Dr. Oberndorf has written an illuminating general introduction to the novels (which are presented in a somewhat condensed form)