This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables. Abstract This slim book, which is a brief survey of psychiatry, is intended primarily for the physician who is just beginning his internship. Its purpose is to acquaint the budding fying,ian with sufficient insights for identifying, classifying, and treating various types of mental disorders. It is difficult to understand how such a volume, according to the cover, could create a sensation in the medical circles of Europe. It is concisely written, yet at times repetitive to the point of being redundant. It tends to emphasize the role of genetic and biochemical factors and to minimize to the point of exclusion the role of social and psychological factors. The classification of mental illness is at variance with the American model. The concept of group therapy and family therapy which represent a significant contribution by American psychiatry is not even mentioned. One feels that psychiatry as described by Dr. Kolle is a static