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According to the Editor's Introduction a series of monographs, of which the present volume is the first, is intended to replace the journal, The Nervous Child, in the belief that monographs provide greater flexibility as well as more exhaustive treatment of particular
subjects. One hopes that future volumes will give more substantial justification for the project.
Approximately half of this work is devoted to the somatic aspects of allergies. This includes a short chapter on asthma in infancy in which the following statement is made: 'The etiology of asthma in infancy is like that in later life. There is an hereditary tendency, there is exposure to allergen, and often a respiratory infection such as pneumonia, whooping cough, or measles precedes the first attack.' It is striking that in a 'psychiatric' monograph the possibility of an emotional factor in the etiology does not merit even the dignity of refutation. For the rest, these chapters are extended discussions of aspects of etiology and management. This reviewer wonders for whom they are intended. It is hardly likely to be worthwhile reading for the specialist in allergy, and the psychiatrist will not find any statement of principles that can be of help to him.
The psychological aspects of the syndrome represent work done at the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children. A much more detailed presentation of the material would certainly have been welcome. The observations from Denver cast considerable doubt on the validity of the frequently postulated relationship between asthma and parental rejection. The data point rather to the possibility that for a considerable percentage of asthmatic children, the nuclear problem is the threat of incorporation into the parent's ego ideal. 'Parentectomy' [sic]—'the removal of the child from home for periods up to two years—is the first step in treatment. Apparently this is very frequently successful. Several studies under way seek to analyze these observatio