The problem of central pain—the phenomenon that can arise from a lesion of the central nervous system—has gradually become a subject of deeper and more systematic investigation. Close observation of examples of central pain, combined with an increased knowledge of its conduction, transmission, and conscious integration, now allow the whole topic to be approached from a much broader point of view. In their reconstruction of the entire problem of central pain, the authors present a valuable synthesis of the widely scattered literature on the subject. They bring together and appraise almost all the case studies that have been previously published and include some new case material in the appendix. Original synthetic diagrams illustrate the anatomical and functional substrate of pain conduction. The authors also present problems of clinical significance from their own experience: problems which prompted them to write this study in order to provide practical information immediately useful to all who must deal with this specialized treatment situation.