The contents, divided into fifty chapters, are indicated by the following list:

The Central Nervous System, Its Importance and Significance; Embryological Development of the Central Nervous System; The Unit of Structure of the Nervous System, The Nerve-Cell or Neurone; The Integration of the Neurones to form the Nervous System, The Neurone Theory; Exposure and Investigation of the Spinal Cord in situ; The Spinal Cord, Its General Character and Anatomy, Its Coverings and Circulation, Histology of the Cord Segment, The Function of the Gray Matter in the Cord Segment, The Function of the White Matter in the Cord Segment, Its Principal Syndromes; Removal of the Brain and Investigation of the Brain Case; The Medulla Oblongata, Encephalization and a General View, Relations, Surface Appearance and Anatomy, Internal Structure and Histology, Functional Significance, Principal Syndromes; The Pons Varolii, Significance, Anatomy and Embryology, Internal Structure and Histology, Functions and Principal Syndromes; The Cerebellum, A General View of its Evolutional Significance, Relations, Surface Appearance and Anatomy, Internal Structure, Histology and Embryology, Its Functional Significance, The Principal Cerebellar Syndrome and Its Variations; The Midbrain, General Significance, Anatomy and Embryology, Internal Structure and Histology, The Functions and Principal Syndromes; The Interbrain, The General Significance, Anatomy and Embryology, Internal Structure and Histology, The Functions and Principal Syndromes; The Endbrain, The Cerebral Hemispheres; Surface Anatomy, Development and Comparative Morphology, Cerebral Measurements and Cranio-Cerebral Topography, The Coverings of the Brain, The Cranio-Cerebral Circulation, The Cortex; the Medullary Substance, Functional Significance and Principal Syndromes of the Medullary Substance, The Internal Nuclei, Functional Significance and Principal Syndromes of the Corpus Striatum, Cerebral Localization, The Somatic Motor Area, The Somesthero-Sensory, Visual and Auditory Area, The Limbic and Insula Area, The Parietal Frontal and Prefrontal Areas, The Internal Structure of the Hemispheres and the Ventricular System.

There is a useful Glossary of five pages; there are important references for supplementary reading; and a forty-three-page index, invaluable.

"Functions and principal syndromes" are conspicuous, it will be observed. Indeed, an important educative feature of the book is the set of twenty-five or thirty symptom-groups (syndromes) of as many important neuropathological conditions, the latest adaptation of the case-history method. They serve to directly fix in the reader's mind the relation between functioning structures and their respective diseases. "By this method," as the Preface notes, "the anatomy and the physiology of the central nervous system are no longer permitted to remain as independent branches of medical science, but are here incorporated as essential parts of the practical knowledge necessary to the proper diagnosis and treatment of disease."

The authors state that their present work is "designed to fill the gap between morphology and the practical requirements of clinical medicine. It aims to visualize the living nervous system, to make accessible an appreciation of its vital relation to the functions which go to make up life as well as the defects in these relations which result in disease." As Professor Huntington points out in his Foreword, it tends to obliterate the evil "divisions commonly existing between premedical, preclinical, and clinical studies," a consummation,

assuredly, devoutly to be wished. Sometime we shall teach medical students some psychology!

'In addition to much original work, many sources have been drawn upon for neurological facts and interpretations. Chief among these have been the great modern masters of Neurology, Cajal and Déjerine. The more recent contributions of distinguished English neurologists, including such leaders as Gaskell, Elliot Smith, Hughlings Jackson, Head, Sherrington, Horsley, Holmes, Campbell, and Wilson, have provided a wealth of material," while the "American School" of Neurology is adequately represented besides, Herrick, Huber, Donaldson, Jolliffe, Dana, Dercum, Starr, et al. per terras. The British reader (on whom the sun never sets) is particularly requested to see evidence herein that Americans (other than the "red" Americans) have long taken much thought in affairs of the nerves and the mind.

The discussion of the cortex and that of the autonomic nervous system are very thorough and timely, and will therefore provide the real student of psychology (Freudian and conservative, both), of sociology, and of applied physiology ("behaviorism"), as well as of psychiatry, what most they need in the present theory of their confluent work. Here is the somatic "sanction" of the subconscious (co-conscious) aspect of mentality well set forth. One may understand a little better than before how affects colour, or even determine, our thoughts; why the great cortex represents movements unlimited but never muscles or glands; what inhibition is; what Head means by "levels"; etc.-just the important base-principles one most needs to know about. The book is a noteworthy systematic treatise seemingly an excellent investment for all who have funds of time and interest idle.

GEORGE VAN NESS DEARBORN.

Man's Unconscious Spirit: The Psychoanalysis of Spiritism. By WILFRID LAY, Ph.D. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. 1921. pp.337. 10s. 6d. net.

Nothing is more surprising to the student of psychical research than the puerility of the criticisms which are from time to time brought forward against it in the name of science. Very few of these critics seem able to discriminate between Psychical Research and the crudest and most uncritical forms of Spiritism, and they write as if of the opinion that "any stick is good enough to beat a dog with." Psychoanalysis is the latest weapon used in the polemic against psychical research and in this book we have what purports to be "A psychoanalytical inquiry into Spiritism, raising the question whether the energy expended by psychics and psychical investigators in their researches may, or may not, be a conscious desire prompted by an unconscious fear"-the fear in question being the fear of death.

The writer says that all true scientific research proceeds according to the "reality principle" and he thinks he is able to show that all psychical research proceeds upon the "pleasure-pain principle." His respect for "the scientist' leads him to say that he alone can see facts, "because he alone is uninfluenced by the ideal of what he thinks facts ought to be or to show. To become a true scientist one has to learn to care not a whit whether a thing is one way or the other, but only to care to find out which way it is." He might have added

that this is also the only way to become a true "psychical researcher." But instead of doing so he draws a sharp line between the former and the latter, and implies that in his investigations the scientist is never deflected from the path of truth by any promptings of his unconscious, or influenced in any way by his wishes or his prejudices; the psychical researcher, on the other hand, is so obsessed by the fear of death that, in the presence of a fraudulently "levitated" table, his desire for everlasting life so disturbs his senses and his judgment that he fails to see the medium's foot which is the cause of the levitation and regards a table thus suspended in mid air as a proof of the immortality of the soul.

Because of the speedy regression to childishness which is brought about in the psychical researcher when the fear of death lays hold of him, Dr Lay would insist that every person who ventures upon psychical research should first be psycho-analysed; for then, presumably, he would be able to see the foot supporting the table (if the light were good) and he would realize that there is no necessary connection between levitation and immortality. One may wonder why Dr Lay thinks it worth while to prejudice psychical research by insinuating that the psychoanalytic doctrine of the influence of unconscious wishes has here some special significance, for he is quite aware that it applies to every form of research whatsoever. Indeed, towards the end of his book he quotes Ferenczi's remarks on this topic: "Unconscious affects (emotions), however, may falsify the truth not only in psychology but also in all other sciences... Everyone who works in Science should first submit himself to a methodical psychoanalysis." This may be very sound advice, but, for the present, it is a counsel of perfection; and in this matter the "scientist" cannot afford to throw stones at the "psychical researcher" until he himself has submitted to a methodical psychoanalysis.

Dr Lay regrets the widespread ignorance about psychoanalysis and says that "almost all people interested in spiritistic phenomena are ignorant of the newer psychology and few of those who know of it have failed to misconstrue it." With equal truth it may be said that almost all people interested in the newer psychology are ignorant of psychical research and few of those who know of it have failed to misconstrue it.

His assumption that all psychical research proceeds according to the pleasure-pain principle leads him to say: "I cannot too strongly emphasise that the abandonment of the reality principle of thought is the first step towards second childhood, and the actions of men of intellect in turning toward spiritism is an unfailing indication of involution, whereupon they cease to be scientists, become first poets, then children and finally infants." This sounds very fine; but does Dr Lay really believe that the late Sir William Crookes, for instance, ceased to be a scientist when he, as a young man, took an interest in spiritism; and does he think that the brilliant researches of Crookes's middle and later life correspond to the mental productions of poets or of children or of infants?

In support of the assertion that knowledge of psychoanalysis is often accompanied by ignorance of psychical research the following quotation may be cited: "The thesis of this book is that all so-called communications, instead of being from a conscious control by another personality, physically separate from the medium, are in reality from an unconscious control by a secondary or subsidiary personality of the medium himself or herself" (p. 86). Does Dr Lay suppose that he is here putting forward a notion that is entirely new?

Does he not know that as hypothesis it is as old as psychical research itself and that it has been one of the working hypotheses of students of this subject for more than thirty years? In putting forward this hypothesis as a thesis to be maintained, and in assuming that he has successfully maintained it, he is making pretence to knowledge which he shows no evidence of possessing and is laying himself open to the suspicion that he has but hazy notions of the nature of scientific proof. That his thesis contains the truth is very likely,the a priori grounds for its acceptance are greater than those that can be adduced in support of the spiritist's belief; but a priori proof of a thesis has rather gone out of fashion in science and, if he appeals to science, we are bound to ask Dr Lay to point us to the experimentum crucis which shall decide between the rival hypotheses.

This he does to his own satisfaction; but unfortunately the "experimentum" is one that has not yet been performed. If you analyse the investigator and analyse the medium, nothing more will be heard of supernormal phenomena. That is the sum and substance of Dr Lay's book, but he gives no indication that either he himself or anyone else has ever carried out the necessary work.

The possibility of utilising psychoanalytic methods in psychical research has not escaped the notice of students of this subject and the importance of the thorough analysis of a medium has been recognized by some of them for many years; but the difficulties of finding a medium willing to be analysed and the difficulty of analysing a medium are greater than might be supposed. Had Dr Lay succeeded in doing so and had he been able to bring his results in support of his thesis, we should have acclaimed him as the greatest "psychical researcher" of us all.

T. W. MITCHELL.

NOTES ON RECENT PERIODICALS.

Internationale Zeitschrift für Psycho-Analyse, 1920, part IV.

[Owing to the fact that The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, in English, now covers much the same ground as the Internationale Zeitschrift für Psycho-Analyse in German, we shall no longer publish comprehensive abstracts from the latter. It will, therefore, henceforth take its place among others in these Notes on Recent Periodicals. Ed.]

"Some Contributions to the Psychology of Homosexuality," by Boehm, has the first place in this number and will be continued in the next. It consists mainly of descriptive material collected by the author from the social life of an isolated North German seaside town (with its "students' associations"), from a South German provincial town, from a group of people conducting an 'open-air cure' movement, from the field in war-time and from the accounts of medical colleagues in naval and military service. The trend of the evidence is to show the close connection between polygamous and homosexual tendencies and the unsuspectedly powerful factor of defence against homosexuality behind compulsive or excessive heterosexual acts (frequenting brothels, etc.). That this is one of the 'masks' of latent homosexuality has long been known; this collection of evidence is interesting confirmation, from observations in 'normal' life, of a fact revealed first by analytic investigation of neurotics.

Groddeck contributes an analysis of a symptom: recurring pain in the legs, ostensibly so severe as to inhibit all mental functioning while the attack lasted. The first association to pain in the legs brought "much walking-the Wandering Jew” and proceeded in the usual way, leading to a revelation of the patient's repressed mockery of, and contempt for, his lame father and identification with him; whereupon the pain vanished. Interesting associations with the idea of pain, the figures of Christ and the Wandering Jew, and the symbol of the cross are discussed, also the question of the use (or misuse) made by patients of reading psycho-analytic literature, always so prejudicial to the treatment.

The shorter communications chiefly concern dreams. Amongst them, Roheim, whose brilliant work on folk-lore, savage rites and customs and so on, is well known, gives two examples of dreams corroborating Freud's hypothesis of a 'primal scene (Urszene) suggested in a recent casuistic study: "The History of an Infantile Neurosis." Very amusing are some dreams recorded by Friedjung which occurred on an occasion when he had promised to telephone to a friend during the night at a certain hour, and thus to fulfil the function of an alarum clock for him. The dreamer prided himself on his ability to wake within five minutes of any specified time, and this narcissistic vanity and the accompanying dread of failure are delightfully evident in the dreams. Moreover, they perform the function of preserving sleep up to the last possible moment and then alarm the dreamer sufficiently to wake him at the correct moment! A quotation from Victor Hugo (Les Misérables, t. III, l. v, ch. 5) is included in this section: "...On jugerait bien plus sûrement un homme d'après ce qu'il rêve que d'après ce qu'il pense. Il y a de la volonté dans la pensée, il n'y en a pas dans le rêve. Le rêve, qui est tout spontané, prend et garde la figure de notre esprit....Dans ces aspirations on peut retrouver le vrai caractère de chaque homme....Chacun rêve l'inconnu et l'impossible selon sa nature."

As usual, valuable critical reviews of recent books are contained in this number.

J. R.

The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, Vol. I, part IV, 1920. The most important article in this number is the opening contribution by Freud, "A Child is Being Beaten." This title is taken from the phrase so often used by patients in giving an account of their "beating phantasies." The frequency of the occurrence of such phantasies in patients suffering from hysteria or obsessional neurosis is a revelation to everyone who takes up psycho-analytic treatment, and this paper of Freud's will be of the greatest value to analysts in their investigation of cases of this kind. Freud describes in particular the growth of the phantasy in women and shows that there are three phases, in each of which there is a difference as regards the relation of the patient to the phantasy and as regards its object, its content and its significance. In the first phase, which belongs to a very early period of childhood, the child being beaten is never the patient: it is some other child, a sister or brother, who is a rival for the father's love. The phantasy means "My father does not love this other child, he loves only me."

In the second phase the child being beaten is the author of the phantasy, which is now unmistakably masochistic in character. The content of the phantasy is "I am being beaten by my father." This change has been brought about by the sense of guilt that accompanies the repression of the incestuous love for the father which arises at the stage of genital organisation. The phantasy of being beaten by the father is a direct expression of the sense of guilt-a punishment for incestuous love. The love for the father is here subordinated to the sense of guilt but it is not unrepresented in the phantasy. For its repression causes a regression to the pregenital stage of sexual organisation so that the being beaten "is not only the punishment for the forbidden genital relation, but also the regressive substitute for it, and from this latter source it derives the libidinous excitement which is from this time forward attached to it."

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In the third phase the child who produces the phantasy no longer appears in it except as a spectator. A child is being beaten," generally one of a number of children, most frequently boys. The person doing the beating is no longer the father but some