| Summary: | "Since the appearance of the last preceding edition of this manual, nearly 11 years ago, noteworthy progress has been made in psychiatry and allied fields. Special mention may be made of large-scale studies of mental disorders in twins, which have been carried out in Germany, in this country, and elsewhere; and which not only have made possible a more exact estimation of the part played by hereditary and germinal factors in the etiology of mental disorders, but have thrown, as a by-product, and rather unexpectedly, new light on certain non-hereditary factors, particularly cerebral birth injuries. In the light of these studies, some important older contributions have gained a special significance for psychiatry, although they were the results of researches in seemingly foreign fields: obstetrics, pediatrics, and biologic statistics. These and many other contributions of the last 10 or 12 years have had to be embodied in the present edition of this manual, if it was to be brought abreast of the times. This has necessitated not only an enlargement of the book by the addition of new material, but also extensive changes and rearrangements. The author's purpose has remained the same as before: to make a working manual by presenting a description of the material of the psychiatric clinic, and methods of dealing with it--that is to say, techniques of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. This book represents an attempt to give a comprehensive bird's-eye view of the entire field of psychiatry and mental hygiene; but a complete and detailed treatment of any subject dealt with in it has been, of course, quite out of the question. At the end of each chapter the student will find a list of references to original sources. The five main parts of the book are divided as follows: General Psychiatry, Special Psychiatry, The Practice of Psychiatry, Mental Hygiene, and Special Diagnostic procedures"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
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