monplace as opposed to the scopes, medias- tinoscope, arthroscope, laparoscope, etc, and cryo, laser, photocoagulator, which are not mentioned.

I believe every student and new graduate will find this book valuable because of its “package“ presentation.

Sister M Thomasine Hardesty, RN, OP Cincinnati

The Mask of Sanity, 5th ed. Cleckley, Her- vey. C V Mosby Co, 11 830 Westline Indus- trial Dr, St Louis, Mo 63141, 1976, 471 pp, $14.95 hardback.

Individuals with antisocial personalities are certified sane by law and medicine; yet, they demonstrate grossly obvious and frequently dangerous irrationality and incompetence.

Cleckly discusses the difficult, if not im- possible, task of managing individuals with this personality, previously known as psycho- pathic personality and later, sociopathic per- son ality .

He presents numerous case studies vividly revealing the inconsistent and irrational be- havior while demonstrating the inadequate management of these individuals by psy- chiatric institutions and courts of law.

There is still no explanation for the cause of this behavior, nor is there any satisfactory known treatment. Complicating this is the difficulty in classifying these individuals; con- sequently, statistics are inaccurate. However, it is estimated that antisocial personality disorders are quite prevalent and are respon- sible for many crimes that are never recog- nized as being related to the psychopathic personality. Because of superficial charm and intelligence, individuals with antisocial personalities can usually manage to “beat the rap” and go free, either from the court or the hospital. They do not learn from past mistakes or show remorse or shame, and they continue to bring heartache and embar- rassment to their family and friends.

By understanding this behavior, the author hopes steps can be taken to effect better management of these individuals, both medi- cally and legally. Though sometimes wordy

and repetitive, the book provides excellent insight into this practically unclassifiable dis- order.

Doris MacClelland, RN, MS San Diego, Calif

The Psychological Aspects of Physical Illness and Disability. Shontz, Franklin C. Macmillan Publishing Co, 866 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022, 1975, 294 pp.

This book has three purposes: (1) to deter- mine how physical illness and disability affect one psychologically, (2) to stimulate those in the health care profession to redefine their relationship with their patients, and (3) to arouse the interest of psychologists in a field which has been little explored.

Throughout the book, the patient is consid- ered as an individual whose treatment for physical illness should be directed toward him as a complete entity rather than toward the disease alone. Part I describes the prog- ress of medical care from ancient beliefs to the present concept that it is a multidisciplin- ary field directed toward treating the patient as a complete individual. Theories on body experiences in health and sickness are pre- sented in Part II. Stress and crisis are dis- cussed in Part 111. Stress is explained as a mild temporary condition with a complete re- turn to prestress condition in a short time. Crisis is severe enough to require reorgani- zation of one’s life situation. A person in either stress or crisis tends to minimize the effect of such disruption.

Part IV considers illness and disability from the patient’s viewpoint. An interesting obser- vation is that during a patient’s stay in the hospital, his closest contacts for the most part are with aides and orderlies-personnel with no formal training for responding to the psychological needs of the patient.

The book concludes with contrasting ideas of treatment settings and a general review to understand this book more thoroughly. It is advisable for the reader to have a background in the behavioral sciences. Al- though it is difficult to read and understand, with perseverance the reader will have a better understanding of why patients act as

348 AORN Journal, August 1976, Vo l24 , No 2