Anxiety Hysteria: Modern views on some Neuroses. By C. H. L. Rixon and D. Matthew, with a Foreword by Col. Sir A. Lisle Webb. Published by  Paul B. Hoeber, New York, 1921. Price $1.50.

This little book is the result of the author's experiences in dealing with the war neuroses. They recognize three psychoneuroses, namely, (1) anxiety hysteria (including conversion hysteria), (2) neurasthenia, and (3) psychasthenia. This book deals only with the first.

Their method of handling their subject is simple, elementary and was undoubtedly very practical. Their concepts differ materially from those of psychoanalysis which they repudiate with some rancor, substituting the term “mental exploration” for their method. They seem to accept the psychology of McDougall, at least they take over his classification of the instincts while as for Freud they take great pains in the Preface to discard the sexual basis for the neuroses and put forward the idea that in fear is to be found the explanation. This is the view which has become quite familiar to us as the reaction with which the neurologist has emerged from his war experiences. In this connection that excellent little work Psychoanalysis and the War Neuroses, just published by the International Psychoanalytic Press, should be read. It discusses the problem fully. It is reviewed in this issue. The criticism of psychoanalytic dream interpretation (p. 103) on the assumption of fixed symbols is really unfortunate. The assumption is purely gratuitous. In general they have taken over just so much of the psychoanalytic theories as serve to prove their own assumptions and discarded the rest as untrue. Then instead of being grateful for what they have been able to use they seem to be resentful of that which their experienced has not confirmed.