Text-book of Occupational Therapy

THIS work fills a long-felt gap in medical literature in bringing together in one volume the salient details of the use of occupational therapy as a method of treatment. Dr. O'Sullivan gives a clear history of the development of occupational therapy in the United Kingdom, America, and on the Continent. The application of this form of treatment in a mental hospital is the main theme of the text, but the practical, economic, and commercial sides of the activities are given full consideration. All the activities as described are directed towards bringing the patient in contact with reality and establishing in the hospital a social and community spirit so essential in helping towards recovery. Occupational therapy is so frequently regarded as the simple employment of a number of patients in various handicrafts that it is refreshing to find equal emphasis being placed on recreational, social, and re-educational activities. A chapter is devoted to the re-education of regressed patients and describes in detail the planning of a scheme for their rehabilitation. For those engaged in the administration of hospitals the chapters dealing with administrative personnel, the formation of special occupational units and the use of occupational therapy in the wards is extremely helpful. For non-medical personnel the sections describing mental illnesses and the selection of special classified occupational activities for the various types of illness should be of great value. Not all activities in occupational therapy can be described in detail in one text-book, but the author gives a comprehensive analysis of willow craft, cane craft, wood craft, and weaving. In criticism it would appear that the author advocates the formation of units requiring very large capital expenditure, but a more careful survey shows that he recommends the gradual building up of the unit till the point is reached where between 85 per cent. and 90 per cent. of the patients in hospital are daily occupied in some form of occupational therapy. I have no doubt that this work will be most beneficial to all whose work takes them in contact with mental hospitals. If the principles set out are followed, not only will a great change be apparent in the mental health of those in hospital, but all employees of the hospital, from doctors and nurses to tradesmen and domestic staff, will find new interest in their work, and will approach their patients with a new understanding. J. A. S. M.