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Neurophysiological basis of normal and abnormal motor activities
Journal of the neurological Sciences
607
Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands
Book Renews Neurophysiological Basis of Normal and Abnormal Motor Activities (Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium of the Parkinson's Disease Information and Research Center of Columbia University, 28-29 November, 1966), by M. D. YAnR ArqD D. P. PtrgPURA (Eds.), xi + 500 pages, illustrated, Raven Press, 1967, $ 25.-. The success of stereotaxic surgery has directed a sizeable quota of money and organising expertise into problems of Parkinsonism and the basic subjects related to it. A n ambitious program was organised by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation for its 3rd symposium, and the 17 papers have been gathered into a generous and well-produced 500 pages. The problems discussed range from the
Beitriige zu einer allgemeinen Theorie der Psychiatrie (Sammlung zwangioser Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der Psychiatric und Neurologie, No. 35), by L. PICKENHAIN AND A. THOM (Eds.), 200 pages, 5 illustrations, VEB Gustav Fischer, Jena, 1968, M D N 13.50. This slender and small volume is deceptive as regards its content. It comprises five essays dealing with subjects that range from philosophical considerations related to a general theory of psychiatry to methodological problems in the examination of biological factors in psychiatric illness. These topics formed the subjects of a
The Infant Cry. A Spectrographic and Auditory Analysis (Clinics in Developmental Medicine, No. 29), by A. WASz-HrCgERT, J. LINI~, V. VUORENKOSKI, T. PARTANEN AND E. VALANNE, with a preface by R. ILLINGWORTH, viii d- 42 pages, with a record, Spastics International Medical Publications in association with William Heinemann Medical Books, Ltd.: London, 1968, 35s; US $ 4.50. In recent years there have been a number of projects in the neonatal field which have helped to educate the medical profession in some knowledge probably known to mothers for centuries. This was well illustrated by the recent recognition of the early age at which the infant is able to fixate, and to follow objects with his eyes. Wasz-Hrckert, Lind, Vuorenkoski, Partanen and Valanne, working in Helsinki and Stock-
cellular to the semantic level, and Eccles, Denny-Brown, Mettler, Brooks, Purpura, and Oscarsson are among those who give a full presentation of their recent fields of interest. The result is an impressive pile, but one regrets that neither the editors nor the contributors have made the effort to distil its essence. The whole subject of nervous organisation on the efferent side continues to be fettered by the concepts of the telephone exchange and the servo-motor, and dearly some radical breakout is needed. The likely direction does not emerge from this volume but its well-documented contents are a useful guide to some focal points of present day research. J. A. V. BATES
series of colloquia held at the Neuro-Psychiatric Clinic, Karl Marx University, Leipzig. The reader may, therefore, be not altogether surprised to find the invocation of Marxist theories in the interpretation of a number of aspects of the subject, particularly when these impinge in some way on the structure of Society as a whole. This is in many ways an interesting book, parts of which will be read with interest and profit by psychiatrists, biochemists, sociologists and philosophers. However, in spite of its soft cover, it should certainly not be read at the bedside! K. SCHAPIRA
holm, have now tried to put on to a scientific basis the interpretation of the infant cry. They have included in their study full term, healthy infants ranging in age from the first day to 7½ months. Four different types or cry have been defined and analysed - - the birth cry (the first cry after delivery of the head), pain cry, hunger cry and pleasure cry. The cry has been recorded on a high quality tape recorder and analysed by oscillographic tracings and spectrograms with wide or narrow band filters. Phonetic terms such as glottal plosives, vocal fry and subharmonic break, which will be new to some readers, are defined early in the book. Details of the analysis of individual phonetic characters in different types of cry are given in a series of tables. These will be of interest to the specialist within the sphere of phonetics, and Greek to most others. At times the reading is
J. neurol. Sci., 1970, 10:607-613
607
Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands
Book Renews Neurophysiological Basis of Normal and Abnormal Motor Activities (Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium of the Parkinson's Disease Information and Research Center of Columbia University, 28-29 November, 1966), by M. D. YAnR ArqD D. P. PtrgPURA (Eds.), xi + 500 pages, illustrated, Raven Press, 1967, $ 25.-. The success of stereotaxic surgery has directed a sizeable quota of money and organising expertise into problems of Parkinsonism and the basic subjects related to it. A n ambitious program was organised by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation for its 3rd symposium, and the 17 papers have been gathered into a generous and well-produced 500 pages. The problems discussed range from the
Beitriige zu einer allgemeinen Theorie der Psychiatrie (Sammlung zwangioser Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der Psychiatric und Neurologie, No. 35), by L. PICKENHAIN AND A. THOM (Eds.), 200 pages, 5 illustrations, VEB Gustav Fischer, Jena, 1968, M D N 13.50. This slender and small volume is deceptive as regards its content. It comprises five essays dealing with subjects that range from philosophical considerations related to a general theory of psychiatry to methodological problems in the examination of biological factors in psychiatric illness. These topics formed the subjects of a
The Infant Cry. A Spectrographic and Auditory Analysis (Clinics in Developmental Medicine, No. 29), by A. WASz-HrCgERT, J. LINI~, V. VUORENKOSKI, T. PARTANEN AND E. VALANNE, with a preface by R. ILLINGWORTH, viii d- 42 pages, with a record, Spastics International Medical Publications in association with William Heinemann Medical Books, Ltd.: London, 1968, 35s; US $ 4.50. In recent years there have been a number of projects in the neonatal field which have helped to educate the medical profession in some knowledge probably known to mothers for centuries. This was well illustrated by the recent recognition of the early age at which the infant is able to fixate, and to follow objects with his eyes. Wasz-Hrckert, Lind, Vuorenkoski, Partanen and Valanne, working in Helsinki and Stock-
cellular to the semantic level, and Eccles, Denny-Brown, Mettler, Brooks, Purpura, and Oscarsson are among those who give a full presentation of their recent fields of interest. The result is an impressive pile, but one regrets that neither the editors nor the contributors have made the effort to distil its essence. The whole subject of nervous organisation on the efferent side continues to be fettered by the concepts of the telephone exchange and the servo-motor, and dearly some radical breakout is needed. The likely direction does not emerge from this volume but its well-documented contents are a useful guide to some focal points of present day research. J. A. V. BATES
series of colloquia held at the Neuro-Psychiatric Clinic, Karl Marx University, Leipzig. The reader may, therefore, be not altogether surprised to find the invocation of Marxist theories in the interpretation of a number of aspects of the subject, particularly when these impinge in some way on the structure of Society as a whole. This is in many ways an interesting book, parts of which will be read with interest and profit by psychiatrists, biochemists, sociologists and philosophers. However, in spite of its soft cover, it should certainly not be read at the bedside! K. SCHAPIRA
holm, have now tried to put on to a scientific basis the interpretation of the infant cry. They have included in their study full term, healthy infants ranging in age from the first day to 7½ months. Four different types or cry have been defined and analysed - - the birth cry (the first cry after delivery of the head), pain cry, hunger cry and pleasure cry. The cry has been recorded on a high quality tape recorder and analysed by oscillographic tracings and spectrograms with wide or narrow band filters. Phonetic terms such as glottal plosives, vocal fry and subharmonic break, which will be new to some readers, are defined early in the book. Details of the analysis of individual phonetic characters in different types of cry are given in a series of tables. These will be of interest to the specialist within the sphere of phonetics, and Greek to most others. At times the reading is
J. neurol. Sci., 1970, 10:607-613