RT Journal
A1 Wolpert EA
T1 A short history of psychiatry.
JF Archives of General Psychiatry
JO Archives of General Psychiatry
YR 1969
FD August 1
VO 21
IS 2
SP 249
OP 249
DO 10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740200121016
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740200121016
AB In this slender volume Professor Ackernecht presents the reader with an overview of the history of psychiatry that, while brief and incisive, manages to touch on the major movements in psychiatric thought over the centuries. In such a brief volume presentation of systems of ideas is necessarily abbreviated and the reader may well feel that the theories of such diverse workers as Freud and Janet, Charcot and Kretschmer are not adequately presented.The author rightfully feels that one need not be a psychiatrist to write a history of psychiatry. However, when the space allowed is so brief, selection is important, and not all readers will be pleased with Ackernecht's omissions: S. Weir Mitchell and Robert B. Carter are among relatively recent workers completely omitted from the book, and their absence may be a real detriment to the English speaking psychiatrist.Finally, at the