Foundations of Neuropsychiatry

THIs book is written primarily for the newly qualified house surgeon, but it would be very useful to anyone who has to care for surgical paticnts. It is well written and very casily read, and covers all aspects of pre-and post-operative management except that of fluid and electrolyte balance. It seems a pity that such a comprehensive book slhould have becn mlarred by this omission No book on sur,gery, howevcr good, could possibly please cveryone in all its details, and this book is no exception. There is lack of detail in pre-operative preparatioln of the patient for adrenal surgery, the removal of skin sutures from a grid iron incision on 10-12th day seems excessively cautious, the examination of all post-operative patients at least oncc daily for tenderness in the calves and for limitation of dorsi-flexion at the ankle would be very difficult to carry out in most lhospitals and also of doubtful value, not removing the rectal tube after hoemorrhoidectomy until the second day would give the patient twenty-four hours more discomfort than is necessary, the use of 4 per cent. lignocaine for every male cathetcrisa-tion is unnecessary and dangerous, testing rcnal function solely by the specific gravity of urine is inadequate for some cases, and the sole use of the metric system for dosage of all 'drugs is confusing. However, apart from these few criticisms of detail, the book is excellent and well worth reading. FOR SiX editions of this book to appear in twelve years indicates that practitioners and medical students have found it valuable. Recent advances in our understanding of the physiology of the central nervous system have been included in this edition. Dr. Cobb writes with authority, not only as a neurophysiologist, but as a psychiatrist who is familiar with the psychiatric problems common in any big general hospital. Throughout the book the author does not lose siglht of lis intcntionl to emiphasise principles rather than to present long lists of facts. By so doinig he hopes that his readers may readily understand the simpler workings of the nervous system. At the beginning the reader's attention is drawn to the fact that the nervous system should be regarded as active and dynamic, and not passive and static. Central modulation of sensory perception and negative feedback affecting motor output suggests to the author a closer approximation to what actually happens in the C.N.S., than does the simpler …