788 THE JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
the pocketbook of most individuals or
communities. There is also the question of
time which, perhaps, could be spent in more
productive ways. Moreover there are no
data to indicate t h a t these elaborate ther-
apeutic techniques are of any value what-
soever.
I l l u s t r a t i v e of the author's type of think-
ing is the chapter headed "The ChiId Who
W i t h d r a w s I n t o Convulsive Seizures." The
chapter opens with the following state-
ment: "The epileptic convulsion has been
thought to represent a desperate a t t e m p t
by the ego to escape from an unbearable
traumatic situation." Though the author
does not specifically state t h a t he agrees
with this statement, he goes on to describe
a child who had repeated convulsions since
the age of 7 months associated with breath-
holding. He concludes that this baby "may
have needed to escape through her convul-
sions from an unbearable reality."
The P h y s i c i a n - W r i t e r ' s Book. R. 3/[. Hewitt,
3&D., Philadelphia, 1957, W. B. Saunders
Co.,ill5 pages. Price $9.00.
To those who have the urge to contribute
to medical literature we recommend an invest-
ment of nine dollars in this book. The sub-
title is "Tricks of the Trade of Medical Writ-
ing." The author as chief of the Section on
Publication of the Mayo Clinic had many
years of experience in helping physicians pre-
pare their books and papers for publication.
Dr. H e w i t t ' s message is first to have some-
thing to say, and then to say it in as few
words as possible with due respect for clarity.
The book goes into m a n y details of how this
can be accomplished. I f it could be made
compulsory reading for embryonic medical
authors i t would be a godsend to the editors
of medical journa]s.
M a n y times over the years a remark by
the ]ate Thomas B. Cooley--one of the most
scholarly writers American pediatrics has
p r o d u c e d - - h a s flashed across the revlewer's
mind. Once when the subject of premedical
training was under discussion, Cooley re-
marked t h a t he considered three things es-
sential: first, English; second, more Eng-
lish; third~ more, more English. Particu-
larly to those who lacked the second and
third of these essentials in their education,
Dr. t I e w i t t ' s t e x t should be of great help
and service.
B. S. V.
Counseling and Psychotherapy With the
Mentally Retarded. Edited by C. L.
Stacey and M. F. De/V[artln% Glencoe,
Ill., 1957, The Free Press, 478 pages.
P r i c e $7.50.
A collection of papers or sections of
books which have appeared in recent years,
prese~tlng discussions of therapeutic work
w i t h the mentally retarded child. I t in-
cludes play, speech, group and occupational
therapy, and a section on the important
subject of counseling with parents. W i t h
the increasing interest in recent years in
the r e t a r d e d child from both the medical
and psychological viewpoints, the book col-
lection gives an excellent picture of the
present status of the psychotherapeutic
methods in use. The book is chiefly of in-
terest to individuals working w i t h retarded
children. 2~r of the methods in use must
be regarded as experimental so f a r as end
results are concerned. That a need for such
a book is indicated for those working with
r e t a r d e d children is in itself highly prom-
ising for the future.
Six Children. Estelle J. Foote, M.D., Spring-
field, Ill., 1956, Charles C Thomas, 317
pages. Price $5.50.
Dr. Foote, formerly psychiatrist in charge
of the Traveling School Clinic in ~ a s s a -
chusetts, has grouped t h e children studied
at the clinic into six main categories or di-
visions: the quick t h i n k i n g child; the slow
t h i n k i n g child; the child with a brain in-
jury; the child w i t h emotional maladjust-
ment; the child with an unusual cultural
background; and the child with unusual
training. E a c h forms the basis of a chap-
ter w i t h illustrative case histories. In a
final section forms and charts for history
taking, examinations, and record keeping
are discussed. The book is i n t e r e s t i n g and
the reader is not overwhelmed by psychi-
atric jargon.
lYhtscle Testing, ed. 2. Lucille Daniels,
M.A., Marian Williams, Ph.D., and Cath-
erine Worthingham, P h . D , Philadelphia,
]956, W. B. Saunders Co., 176 pages.
Price $4.00.
A second revised and enlarged edition of
the manual first issued ten years ago. The
t e x t is practical and well illustrated.