In his introduction Kanner calls this "the first textbook of child psychiatry in the English language" and adds that it "is offered as an attempt to cover the entire field of children's personality disorders on a broad, objective, unbiased and practical basis." The first hundred and forty pages are devoted to basic principles, methods of examination and diagnosis and fundamental considerations regarding psychiatric treatment of the child. The remainder of the book deals with specific psychiatric disorders, many of which are, with doubtful propriety, renamed according to the peculiar nomenclature of the Meyerian school. These have been divided into personality difficulties (1) associated with physical illness, (2) expressing themselves as involuntary "part-dysfunctions" and (3) expressing themselves clearly as "whole-dysfunctions" of the individual.
Concerning the general organization of the subject matter, little criticism need be made. The separation of part-dysfunctions from whole-dysfunctions is, however, unjustifiable. For example, it is difficult to