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The advantage to an author who undertakes to break the ground of a subject previously neglected is that he need not restrict himself to some narrow aspect of his topic and that he cannot be expected to exhaust his material. The result is likely to be stimulating and thought-provoking but also diffuse, topical, and inconclusive. Dr. Eissler has yielded to the temptation to spread himself over a wide area, to follow out a number of loosely related lines of thought, and to open many areas of discussion without pursuing these openings to a logical conclusion. The result, though an uneven piece of work, difficult to delineate and often mystical and speculative in tone, is nonetheless a unique and moving book which, because of the writer's maturity and intelligent acquaintance with many fields of knowledge outside his own profession, can be recommended both to the practitioner and to the non-professional person interested in the general subject of human relations and the individual's relation to the universe. It is an impressive introduction to a field which deserves further study both by the psychiatrist and by those who deal in related fields of social interest.
Of the three sections into which the book is divided, only one has direct practical application for the professional person who deals with the dying patient. This section is concerned with the histories of three of the author's patients who were under his treatment at the time of their impending death. In connection with each case problems are presented and discussed. By their number and gravity they clearly indicate the necessity for a more extensive study of the psychological needs of patients who are facing death, of techniques for dealing with these needs, and of the peculiar legal and ethical problems the practitioner may have to face in his relationship with the patient. Dr. Eissler's conception of “the gift situation” around which he believes the technique of treatment of the dying patient must center is a