Jack R. Ewalt

Mental health administration

Physician-Writers Book. Tricks of the Trade of Medical Writing -By Richard M. Hewitt. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders (W. Washington Sq.), 1957. 415 pp. Price,

Practical clinical psychiatry

9.00. This is a unique volume written by the senior consultant of the Section of Publications of the Mayo Clinic. He is also associate professor of medical literature in the Mayo Foundation. The author states his aim in preparing the book to aid the inexperienced, inexpert, occasional physician-author, whose material is written for other physicians. As he says, the volume is not a style book but the methods employed are those familiar to most who have studied English composition. In spite of the fact that this is a comprehensive volume of 400 pages, thoroughly organized around the subject matter, it is surprisingly well written and provocative. Novices in medical writing will be astonished to discover what a complex field they have entered. They will be grateful to the author for his comprehensive coverage. The last 75 pages of the book are given over to useful appendixes which significantly enrich the volume. All together it can be highly recommended. REGINALD M. ATWATER

The Future of Veterans Administration Hospital Programs for Psychiatric Patients

each chapter. These indices are qualitative rather than quantitative, yet some idea may be gained from the following: The present volume is enriched by, approximately a thousand new references, nearly two hundred of which refer to the twelve newly included subjects. The remaining eight hundred refer, by and large, to new material. Emphasis has varied from 98 new references for poliomyelitis and 47 for influenza to only 6 new ones for tuberculosis, and this in the face of increasing interest in BCG prophylaxis and streptomycin therapy. In the chapter on Specific.Prevention of Certain Communicable Diseases, no comment was made concerning BCG. There is no appreciable change in the arrangement and presentation of the material-after a very brief general summary of infection, immunity, epidemiology, regulations, specific prevention, serum reactions, and home and hospital management there follows, classified according to portal of entry, an orderly presentation of a number of parasitic diseases, including some helminth, protozoan, fungus, bacterial, spirochetal, virus and rickettsial diseases. The number of illustrations, both color and half tone, has been increased. For those who found the first edition useful, this reviewer strongly recommends this new, larger and more comprehensive edition; for those who are not familiar with the book, it is recommended as a convenient and excellent digest. The index is adequate for the purposes for which the book is intended. E. GURNEY CLARK.

JOINT COMMISSION ON MENTAL ILLNESS AND HEALTH

In planning for the continued care of its large veteran population, the Veterans Administration is taking into account needs generated by trends such as a decreasing incidence of schizophrenia among veterans, an increasing use of outpatient services, and an increasing number of veterans suffering from alcoholism and substance abuse. The authors discuss the characteristics of the three types of VA medical centers that serve psychiatric patients: small general hospitals without a medical school affiliation; large general hospitals with a medical school affiliation; and large general hospitals with large psychiatric populations. One major goal of future planning is to institute psychiatric services at all of the 172 VA medical centers. Another goal is to ensure that each facility with a medical school affiliation will have a day hospital, a day treatment center, and a mental hygiene clinic.