122 BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL 10 JULY 1971

BOOK REVIEWS

Psychotherapeutic Bonus of Shakespeare

Shakespeare, Medicine and Psychiatry. something more than a floral formula, and an absurdity. And yet Dr. Edgar goes
Irving I. Edgar, A.M., M.D. (Pp. 382; C3.) to travel to the moon without the aid of on moving the characters of the play
Vision Press. 1971. space ships is as easy as swinging in a ham- around on a three-dimensional psycho-
mock on a fine summer's day. analytic chess-board. "To kill his uncle
Shakespeare has inspired in his admirers a So far so good. Dr. Edgar does rational is to kill himself especially since the
form of idolatry, or Bardolotry, unparalleled thinking a great service by his iconoclasm. uncle becomes an actual father symbol-
in any other creative artist. Dr. Edgar, But in the second part of his book "The uncle-father-king" takes a little swallow-
although a devotee of The Bard, takes his Psychopathology in Shakespeare's Dramas", ing, but Dr. Edgar passes all credibility, so
stand this side idolatry. He makes out an ex- he discloses his devotion to yet another un- far as I am concerned, with the analysis of
cellent case for limiting the facets of Shake- doubted genius, Sigmund Freud. Tragically, the last scene of the play when the stage, it
speare's genius to two, as a poet and a he attempts to cross-fertilize the two brands will be remembered, is littered with corpses.
dramatist. In so doing he lambasts the of genius and produces not a marvel but a "Of course in the end the tragedy involves
medical idolators who would add physician, monster. He uses this hybrid to inspect, or the murder of all the principals, the only
psychiatrist, and physiologist to the list. He rather destroy, the characters of Lear and fitting tragic end to all activated Oedipus
is at pains to destroy the myth, for example, Hamlet; but it is the latter of course who as conflicts", he announces to his dumbfounded
that Shakespeare was aware of the circula- usual takes the greater beating. audience. There are more revelations of holy
tion of the blood before the epoch-making Since the late eighteenth century doctors, writ still to come. "The Oedipus triangle
discovery of William Harvey. The evidence or, if you like, psychiatrists have repeatedly has inexorably reached its denouement in
for this nonsensical assumption, he could attempted to analyse Hamlet so that in the death and Shakespeare and the audience are
have pointed out, is as valid as Puck's, "I'll end he emerges with more diagnoses round purged of their own Oedipal emotions". As
put a girdle round about the earth in forty his neck than Caesar had wounds. He is a a frequent member of such an audience, I
minutes", indicates Shakespeare's pre- fictitious figure-albeit the world's most re- was unaware till now of the psychothera-
knowledge of Dr. von Braun's discoveries in nowned fictitious figure-in a fictitious world. peutic bonus offered with every presentation
the field of rocketry. What the earth-bound, To ordinary mortals who see only with two of Hamlet. So, I suspect, was Shakespeare.
scientific prosaists do not appreciate is the eyes and listen with only two ears the explo- But it's a bit late in the day to ask him.
limitless range of imagery and metaphor at ration of the conscious, let alone the un-
the disposal of the poet. For him a rose is conscious, mind of an imaginary figment is HENRY R. ROLLIN

Reconstructing the Pinna

Congenital Absence of the Ear. Eric W. Peet, avoid the performance of valueless operations, simple-almost conversational-and the
F.R.C.S. (Pp. 39; £2.) E. & S. Livingstone. and offering guidance on the difficult matter clarity he achieves make for easy reading and
1971. of the optimum age for intervention. The understanding. The book concludes with a
different requirements are clearly stated for number of beautiful case results which prove
It will give much pleasure to the many the unilateral and the bilateral case, and for the value of the methods advocated. All
friends of the late Eric Peet that his col- the repair of the deformity in boys and in surgeons faced with these difficult problems
leagues in Oxford have arranged the pub- girls. Operative techniques are described in will find much to help them, no matter how
lication of this monograph, which was in detail and clearly illustrated. One wonders, experienced they may be. Useful lessons in
an advanced stage of preparation at the time however, if he were writing today whether co-operation between the plastic surgeon and
of his death. It is a fitting testimony to the he would maintain his outright condemna- the otologist will also be learned.
man and to the skill he brought to bear on tion of the use of all synthetic implants;
the treatment of this very difficult deformity. modern improvements might have changed
This is an authoritative work, stressing his views.
the need for careful planning in order to The style of writing is characteristically DAVID MATTHEWS

Derangement of the Back

Spinal Manipulation. J. F. Bourdillon, credibility by constant reiteration of correct- thetic so that protective muscle spasm can be
F.R.C.S. (Pp. 150; £1-75.) Heinemann. 1970. ing misdiagnosis by others without ap- assessed and respected.
parently having any failures himself. As an Treatment of short or long term mechani-
This monograph by an orthopaedic surgeon appendix there are short case descriptions cal derangement of the back is a neglected
who has made himself expert in manipula- of 36 patients all of whom were relieved of subject as far as the medical profession is
tion of the spine is well produced with ex- symptoms by manipulation of the spine, concerned, partly perhaps because so many
cellent photographs and description of the though one patient with Menire's syndrome are self-limiting. Mr. Bourdillon shows that
technique of individual joint mobilization. was unable to attend regularly enough for often one or two sessions with a skilled
The author's observation is acute, and he manipulation and was cured by an operation practitioner can relieve the physical, and
relates lesions and their treatment to ortho- on the ear. The dangers of manipulation of perhaps the secondary mental, disability
dox anatomy and physiology. The analysis the spine when the bones are abnormal permanently.
of the functions of the sacroiliac joint should owing to disease or rarefaction without pre-
be considered by all orthopaedic surgeons. liminary radiographs are stressed, and all
Mr. Bourdillon detracts somewhat from manipulations are carried out without anaes- C. W. MANNING