Handbook of Behavior Therapy with Sexual Problems By Joel Fischer and Harvey L. Gochros (review)

conclusions without going through the elaborate processes of calculating and testing every possibility. As a psychiatrist, 1 can see the advantage in this economy of processing as well as its wealth of opportunities for mischief in matching the analogs. His extensive bibliography makes every topic touched upon the opening of another mine shaft into a deeper understanding of man. Together with a glossary , this makes Programs ofthe Brain an ideal undergradute text for a liberal arts education. I plan to use it this fall quarter for just that purpose. I always thought microbiologists and geneticists studied populations but C. H. Waddington is an embryologist who would not stay put. His extrapolation of the population biologist's skills and insights to the broadest human issues is a splendid example of the mature scientific mind at work. In reading The Man-made Future I found it necessary to double back and read his companion volume, Tools for Thought, in order to have some grasp of how people manage to think about such complex interacting problems as population, food supply, energy, urbanization, pollution, controlling man's nature, war, and so on. The tools themselves are fascinating—ranging from Venn diagrams, game theory, and the Delphi techniques of forecasting to systems modeling. Honestly, I could not quite imagine myself using his books in a course because I could not master the material. Nevertheless, in the face of gloom and doom all about us, it is impressive to me that Dr. Waddington, in an age when many men have become doubting if not cynical about what can be done to improve the human condition, sees constructive change and a new affirmation of human values within our reach if not within our grasp. Both of these books were written by scientists in their eighth decade, addressed to the general reader, and intended as textbooks for the undergraduate seeking to broaden his understanding of man. It delights me to see broken the stereotype of the aging scholar turning bitter and detached. We have been given the impression that age itself is sufficient to turn one sour on life, much as the tenth lunar month finds the pregnant female weary of pregnancy. How much better to realize that, as a scholar mellows, his scope may widen to make him a wiser commentator on human affairs and on human nature. I would be inclined to describe both authors as humanists in the best sense of the word. Jarl E. Dyrud Department ofPsychiatry University of Chicago Handbook ofBehavior Therapy with Sexual Problems. By Joel Fischer and Harvey L. Gochros. 2 vols. New York: Pergamon Press, 1977. Pp. 604. $20.00 per vol. In the last 10-20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in professional interest in the field of human sexuality. This increase in interest stems partially from the discovery that many sexual difficulties, such as impotence, frigidity, and premature ejaculation, can be successfully treated by brief symptomoriented therapies. There has also been a corresponding increase in publications within the area of human sexuality. Accordingly, the professional needs to be selective in his (or her) purchase of materials in this area. The authors of this 492 I Book Reviews two-volume text indicate in the preface that these texts are intended for a general professional audience. In this reviewer's opinion, the authors are incorrect in that statement. However, these texts are excellent reference books for selected professionals. This two-volume edited text consists almost entirely of previously published articles on the behavioral treatment of sexual dysfunction. The introductory sections are well written and the articles chosen are generally of extremely high quality. In fact, several of the reprinted articles are seminal articles within this relatively new field of sex therapy. For example, the first article in volume 1 is a reprint of a report by Lobitz and LoPiccolo, describing the sex-therapy treatment techniques developed at the University of Oregon. This article is the first documented report of successfully using masturbatory training to treat nonorgasmic women. At the time of publication, this treatment approach represented a radical departure from the approach recommended by W. Masters and V. Johnson, and subsequently it has become the mainstay of most...