The authors review the literature on shock therapy and find that the critical factor in shock therapy is anoxemia. Since complete anoxemia is very dangerous,

the authors suggest that hypoxemia may be more suitable and will give just as good results. They use a technique of hypoxemia with comparatively rapid change of different gas mixtures and a return to the normal oxygen content of the air while internal atmospheric pressure remains constant. In a series of eight controls, consisting of physicians, the subjects noticed that after twenty or thirty minutes of hypoxemia they felt less fatigued. In all patients improvement was noticed after every treatment. Of six cases of reactive depression, five showed good results. Two schizophrenic depressions improved. In two cases of endogenous depression there was no improvement. The authors see no reason for resorting to shock as used in America.