Alcoholism: Progress in Research and Treatment

The editors of this book have assigned themselves the task of presenting those "broad multidisciplinary aspects of the problem of alcoholism" that are "of prime importance to the medical student and physician who treat alcoholics on an irregular basis." They have succeeded reasonably well by bringing together 17 well-written, separately authored chapters that report recent alcohol research in such diverse fields as biochemistry, clinical medicine, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and law. Although some offerings are too specific and others too general for the anticipated readership, most present well-balanced overviews. As a consequence of the book's diversity, most of the chapters do not relate directly to each other, apart from the common subject of alcoholism. However, running through a number of these chapters is the viewpoint that recognizes the importance of methodical research, with a reexamination and, if necessary, challenge to entrenched concepts about alcoholism. This combination of research and reexamination is most