Medicine: Shocking & Choking

Most psychiatrists hold that the way to treat the minor mental ills classified as psychoneuroses* is by mental means alone. The University of Illinois' Dr. Ladislas Joseph Meduna has now published an outspoken dissenting opinion. Psychoneuroses, he declares, are caused by something wrong in the physical working of the brain's nerve cells and can be cured by physical means.

Sniff the Gas. In Carbon Dioxide Therapy (Charles C. Thomas; $5), Psychiatrist Meduna claims to have a possible answer: a few sniffs of the gas which puts the bubbles in soda water. This, according to Dr. Meduna, may make psychoanalysis unnecessary. And, he...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!