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This review of the literature from 1935 to 1964 is primarily concerned with therapeutic abortion. Several observations are made which are of psychiatric as well as sociopolitical interest today. From the twenty-seven papers reviewed, including five European studies and one Japanese, conclusions range from the idea that psychiatric illness almost always results from a therapeutic abortion, to the other extreme that psychiatric illness is virtually absent following
abortion. The authors observe that on the subject of abortion personal convictions often seem to outweigh the data at hand or interfere with correct use of references. Most of the reports are seriously compromised because of unclear or inadequate definition of the sample, little attention to the pre-existing mental health of the abortee, confusion in psychiatric criteria, and inadequate long term follow-up. The authors conclude that there 'appears to be a lack of conclusive data about the effects of therapeutic abortions'. It certainly seems to be a neglected field of study of a vital subject if only twenty-seven papers have appeared in almost thirty years.