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A collection of twenty papers by thirteen authors on various aspects of psychosomatic medicine, this volume is mistitled, for it contains precious little that is new and certainly explores no dimensions. It reads as though these were lectures given in an extension course for general physicians. Five of the papers are reprinted. The topics covered are the traditional ones prepared for the edification of psychologically enlightened physicians. Many are written in the patronizing style that regrettably mars so many such writings addressed to general physicians by psychiatrists and analysts.
There is a spate of opinion and advice on how physicians can better take care of their patients, some plausible, some questionable, but few sufficiently documented to be convincing. Many are clearly unsupported personal opinions, as is Wahl's statement, 'It is my conviction that no patient should ever be told he is going to die'. This highly personalized approach is confirmed by the fact that only nine of the papers include references to the writings of others; nor does the reader get the feeling that the opinions are based on studies in depth of the patients discussed. Pumpian-Mindlin, for example, discussing techniques of interviewing, describes how he as an analyst interviews patients referred to him in his office, apparently not aware that practical circumstances have demanded, and ingenuity has led to, methods of interviewing more practical for use at the bedside, and equally informative. Indeed, Mellinkoff, the only nonpsychiatric author, in Medical Management of Psychosomatic Disorders, comes closer to presenting the essentials of modern interviewing even though his treatment of the subject is brief and superficial.
Only five contributions bear recommendation, and two of these are reprints: Alexander's summary after thirty-five years of his views of psychosomatic concepts, and Grotjahn's account of his own experience as a patient. Mandell's discussion of coronary arte