BOOK REVIEWS

The Working Brain: An Introduction to Neuropsychology, by ropsychology have repeatedly stressed: the analysis of psy-
A.R. Luria; translatedbyBasilHaigh. New York, N. Y., Bas- chological processes relies on a qualitative empirical ap-
ic Books, 1974, 371 pp. , $12.50. proach that adduces correlations offunction with structure.
Although it is becoming progressively more difficult to
Luria’s Neuropsychological Investigation: Text, Manual, and
keep abreast of the burgeonings in all of the disciplines that
Test Cards, by Anne-Lise Christensen. New York, N. Y.,
have multisected the study of human behavior, seminal sum-
Spectrum Publications (Halsted Press, John Wiley & Sons,
maries such as The Working Brain are recommended for
distributor), 1975, text: 203 pp. $24.00 , (paper); manual: 55
those of us who struggle to attain the accolade of compleat
pp. $7.95
, (paper); test cards: 4 sets, $40.00.
psychiatrist.

Prof. Aleksandr Romanovich Luria is one of the

U.S.S.R. ‘5 most distinguished scientists; his pioneer studies REFERENCES

of brain function have earned him worldwide acclaim. He is

I. Luria AR: Traumatic Aphasia: Its Syndromes, Psychology, and
a member of the Academy of Pedagogical Science of the
Treatment. Translated by Bowden D. New York, Humanities
U.S.S.R. and a foreign associate memberofthe U.S. Nation- Press, 1970
al Academy of Science and the U.S. National Academy of 2. Luria AR: Restoration of Function After Brain Injury. Trans-
Education. lated by Haigh B. New York, Pergamon Press, 1963
Fortunately Luria’s
most important writings have been 3. Luria AR: The Role of Speech in Regulation of Normal and Ab-
published Traumatic
in English: Aphasia (1), Restoration of normal Behaviour. New York, Pergamon Press, 1961
Function After Brain Injury (2), The Role ofSpeech in Regu- 4. Luria AR: Higher Cortical Functions in Man. Translated by
lation ofNormal and Abnormal Behaviour (3), Higher Cor- Haigh B. New York, Basic Books, 1966
5. Luria AR: Human Brain and Psychological Processes, vol 1.
tical Functions in Man (4), Human Brain and Psychological
Translated by Haigh B. New York, Harper & Row, 1966
Processes (5), The Mind ofa Mnemonist (6), and The Man 6. Luria AR: The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a
with a Shattered World (7). Vast Memory. Translated by Solotaroff L. New York, Basic
The title The Working Brain
is well chosen. Luria attempts Books, 1968
in this book to correlate cortical structure and function ac- 7. Lunia AR: The Man with a Shattered World: A History of a
cording to a unitary thesis. Despite the brain’s architectural Brain Wound. New York, Basic Books, 1972
complexity and the differences among its individual systems,
the brain’s functions (its ‘works’ ‘) are not localized.
‘ Rather, HOWARD P. ROME, M.D.
they are distributed in broader areas. The contribution of Rochester, Minn.
each cortical zone to the whole organization is very specific.
Consequently, the behavioral effect produced by each zone
is very specific. Therefore, a qualitative neuropsychological Ganja in Jamaica: A Medical Anthropological Study of Chron-
analysis must be performed to assess the impairment of cene- ic Manihuana Use, by Vera Rubin and Lambros Comitas.
bral function. The Hague, The Netherlands, Mouton (Scotch Plains, N.J.,
A detailed description of the neuropsychological tech- Mouton/Macfarland, distributor), 1975, 205 pp. $9.95. ,

niques used by Luria and his collaborators at the Burdenko

Neurosurgical Institute in Moscow is available in the work of This is one of the most interesting, reliable, and compre-
Anne-Lise Christensen, a Danish clinical psychologist. Her hensive studies of the complex relationships involved in the
English version of Lunia’s text is composed of three parts. use ofcannabis that has yet been published. It is the result of
The first is Luria’s own summary of the functional rationale a study sponsored by the Research Institute for the Study of
he has developed to specify the “qualification of the [brain] Man in collaboration with the University of the West Indies
defect’ over the last 40 years. The second
‘ part describes and and supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.
illustrates the details of the test procedures used by Luria The project took 18 months to complete and a large propor-
and associates to examine motor, acoustico-motor, cutane- tion of the time of 45 staff members and consultants.
ous, kinesthetic, and visual functions. Tests for the exam- It is quite probable that cannabis (or “ganja,” as it is
ination ofspeech, writing, and arithmetic skill as well as mne- called in Jamaica) is used with greater intensity in Jamaica
monic and intellectual processes are also described. The than anywhere else in the world, certainly in the Western
third part of the text consists of thumbnail sketches of hemisphere. An extensive study of 30 ganja smokers and 30
patients whose functional impairments demonstrate various nonsmokers, all of whom were working class native men, re-
brain lesions. Christensen also provides a manual that con- vealed no significant differences between the two groups.
tains typical test wordings that are used to elicit responses to There was also little correlation between the use ofganja and
a set of cards and pictures. The test cards are also available crime. The effects of ganja smoking on the lung’s function
in a plastic box. were thought to be similar to those of tobacco smoking. The
In his conclusion to The Working Brain Luria echoes the incidence of alcoholism was found to be quite low among
point he and other contributors to the growing science of neu- ganja smokers, supporting the benevolent alternative theory.

Am J Psychiatry 133:3, March 1976 349