463 pages. The boards are unevenly discoloured, else a clean, unmarked and solid copy, though obviously second hand.Third impression. Maxence Van der Meersch (4 May 1907 - 14 January 1951) was a French Flemish writer. " Bodies and Souls (Corps et âmes) is " a powerful book, which may gather momentum through word of mouth publicity, since it stirs profoundly all who can stay by its scenes of almost unbearable suffering, degradation and gore. A beautiful, tender love story runs through the book, which might have been lost sight of in the greater struggle of good and evil. The author has chosen as his framework- and brings home dramatically the thought implicit in his title. That France, in its materialism and decadence, has lost sight of the importance of the soul within the body. Ambitious, self-seeking doctors and surgeons, cabinet ministers wielding unhealthy influence on medicine, the rich using their power to their own ends, and a tiny handful keeping their integrity at all costs- these are the characters in a superb and gripping story. Don't overlook it." (Kirkus Review 1948)