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Masserman warns against the dichotomy of mind and body implicit in the term 'psychosomatic'. He then discusses recent studies which have thrown light on the rôle of the hypothalamus in gastrointestinal functioning but, in the light of contemporary experimental work, he rejects the theory which establishes the hypothalamus as the seat of the emotions. After reviewing the importance of the nutritional function in the development of the infant's interpersonal relationships and the satisfaction of its dependency needs, Masserman describes four types of psychogenic vomiting: reactive vomiting, as after the detection of some disgusting contaminant in the food; neurotic vomiting, as in the rejection of an unconscious wish to be pregnant; severe character neuroses with symptomatic vomiting; psychoses with vomiting. In treatment the aim is first to remove the gain through illness and then to divert the energies of the patient into satisfactory realistic channels. Masserman states that the application of these principles may become highly elaborate in some cases, but he believes that psychotherapy can be adequately conducted by the general practitioner.