Hensing, 1719. An account of the first chemical examination of the brain and the discovery of phosphorus therein

of publication of Psychopathia sexualis is 1886 (and not 1866; see p. 27); William Battie had nothing to do with Bethlem Hospital (p. 25); etc. The chapter on Swiss psychiatry that follows finds the author on safer ground and his thumbnail sketch is lively and adequate. Some important references on this topic are missing, however, particularly Lunier's classical paper on 'De l'alienation mentale en Suisse' (1867). The third chapter (on treatments) is again weak, occasionally unfair (e.g., against ECT; p. 54), and sometimes controversial (e.g. on the usefulness of intravenous antidepressants, p. 54). The second section totally justifies the publication of this book. It offers an original and welldocumented account of the contributions of many important figures of Basle psychiatry. The material is organized biographically and the attempts by the author to identify links between his heroes and the ongoing intellectual scene in the rest of Europe are very successful. Some of the psychiatrists discussed (e.g. Wille and Ruidin) are better known to non-Swiss historians than others (e.g. Brunner, Wolff, Staehling, and a constellation of minor figures). Wille was presented in detail by Meyer (1973) but still remains an intriguing figure. Surprisingly, Dr Haenel does not mention Wille's superb paper on Verwirrheit (1888), which is a crucial contribution to the development of the concept of delirium. Dr Haenel writes in a terse and elegant German, and his book is a pleasure to read. Wellknown and less well-known photographs have been interleaved, and misprints have been kept to a minimum. With this work, Haenel has rendered a great service to the psychiatry of his country, and the book should find a rightful place in all specialized libraries. German E. Berrios University of Cambridge