Article described the efforts of Morton Birnbaum to ensure the constitutional rights of those persons confined to mental institutions and, at the same time, denied treatment for their illness. (RK)

Describes a National Cancer Institute (NCI) seminar directed to the problem of death, and specifically to the need to train medical personnel to help the dying. (GS)

This study attempts to (1) assess the effects of therapist credibility and patient-therapist similarity on interpersonal persuasion; and (2) to further assess the relationship between patient attitude change and psychotherapy outcome. (HMV)

Text, illustrations, and exercises are utilized in this set of seven learning modules designed to instruct diabetes patients in health care practices necessary for the control of their illness. The first module, by Barbara J. Cross, describes materials and procedures used in testing the urine for sugar and acetone. The second module, by Ruth…

Text, illustrations, and exercises are utilized in this set of three learning modules to inform members of the general public about the causes and treatments of the common medical ailments that they may have. The first module, "Understanding Ligation of Hemorrhoids as an Office Procedure" by Audrey E. Kidd, lists the symptoms of…

This study was undertaken to provide a descriptive analysis of the rhetoric of physicians (1) as they communicate with their colleagues, and (2) as they communicate with their patients. To accomplish the first objective, the oral presentations made during weekly conferences by the surgeons at a major hospital were observed for ten months. The…

The papers in this book explore the fundamental skills necessary for communication between individuals and the important benefits which improved communication could contribute to both the teaching and the practice of good clinical and administrative medicine. The papers consist of an analysis of face-to-face communicaton in terms of four systems…

The Human Service Scale is an assessment instrument for measuring the progress of the rehabilitation client and the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs. The theory behind the scale is based on Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. The development and some potential uses of the scale are discussed. (EC)

The relation between intelligence at admission and subsequent rehospitalization was examined in 91 schizophrenic males. (Editor)

Mental health legislation recently enacted has improved on older laws by recognizing new procedural rights for patients. In many instances, however, it has also prevented treatment for patients who are severely ill. The authors discuss the new laws and the way they have affected the cooperative efforts of social workers, lawyers, and…

Medical information and expertise are concentrated in large population centers. This experimental program devised means of distributing these needed health care resources to rural and semi-rural areas. (MP)

After telling a psychologist his intentions to kill Tatiana Tarasoff, Prosenjit Poddar did so. In Tarasoff v. Regents of University of California the psychologist was found liable for not warning the victim of danger. The author contends that the decision, in terms of medical capabilities, may be ahead of its time. (JT)

A study at the University of Alabama/Birmingham (UAB) compared adult asthma patients receiving a self-care workbook with those receiving only asthma pamphlets. Outcomes were assessed in five areas: (1) health care utilization, (2) functional status, (3) knowledge, (4) adherence, and (5) psychological reactions. (Author/CH)