Biology for Medical Students

The most important contribution of this monograph lies in the discussion of the hyperkinetic disorders. The importance of the psychosomatic viewpoint and the need for a "perspective of the composite picture" are noted. The hyperkinetic diseases, including hypertension, Graves' disease (as well as its larval form, neurocirculatory asthenia), peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, cardiospasm, manic depressive psychosis, and paranoia are the "result of the impact of environmental influence upon a constitutional background" and represent an exaggeration of the normal function of these organ systems. The essay on Graves' syndrome and its relation to neurocirculatory asthenia is well worth reading. Case histories adequately document the importance of criteria other than the basal metabolic rate in making the diagnosis of Graves' disease. -R. E. COOKE