Kaplan studied seven patients who fell into the category of schizophrenia but who also demonstrated 'psychopathic' trends. He found that treatment of these patients by all of the usually available means failed to produce any appreciable improvement although, with or without treatment, they did not appear to deteriorate rapidly. The author therefore feels that the utilization of a 'psychopathic defense' by a schizophrenic renders his prognosis unusually good in terms of deterioration.