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this is a very worthwhile contribution. two hundred ninety-five women aged fifteen to thirty-five were examined by a standard form of personal interview, marriage inventory form, physical examination, and an x-ray study of the pelvis. the group included normals and abnormals, single and married women. the fact that psychosexuality has its origins long before puberty is confirmed. masturbation often occurs before adolescence (the author does not distinguish between clitoral and vaginal masturbation). sexual aggression by an adult is sometimes followed by homoerotic trends in adult life. the child with many illnesses may retain immature attitudes. insecure and unstable homes show their evidence in later life. there is no evidence to show that onset of menstruation is of any psychological importance in personality formation. “crushes” on other girls in the'teen ages are the rule rather than the exception. masturbation is a common practice in the early'teens. one woman in four had sexual intercourse before marriage. one wife in three is sexually maladjusted. psychosexual development in the psychotic seems to have been no different from the average, prior to the onset of the psychosis. the etiology is still obscure.
this volume has much other useful information. there are numerous tables giving the methods used and data examined. the volume suggests that the sexual life cannot be so causative in illness as has been supposed. the reviewer would agree, for the mere presence of sexual disturbance