«IP9,0»12 February 191O  4O7 Brunswick Avenue  Toronto

«IP0,0»Dear Professor Freud,

«IP4,0»Your last letter gave me one of the greatest happinesses of my life, and I am still so moved by it that I cannot write about your personal remarks more than to thank you with all my heart for your kindness.

«IP4,0»I warmly hope that your physical ailment is now a thing of the past.  It is too bad that America should deal you a mean blow through its cooking.

I was much touched by your reference to Putnam's remark, and am sure he did not mean it in the sense you took it.  People are apt to think that every revolutionary investigator must be "only a young man", and he wished to indicate that you are a man of vast experience.  You always have the consolation of remembering that your mind is younger than anyone else's, and that it will take several generations to catch up to date with you.  All we younger men can do will be to work out some of the details of your ideas, and apply them.

Neither Brill, Putnam nor I can come to the Nuremberg congress, to our great regret.  I have a psychiatry course on just at that time, and cannot escape from it. Do you not think the time is ripe to apply a suggestion you made in the «MDUL»Traumdeutung«MDNM», namely to make a collection of typical dreams?«FN1.××See sections on "Typical Dreams" in Freud (1900a, pp. 37‑38, 241‑276, 385‑404).

»  Why not establish a central bureau at Jung's to which short accounts of analyses could be sent by different workers?  Then after a couple of years the results could be worked up for the «MDUL»Jahrbuch«MDNM».  Would it not be a suitable subject to discuss at the Congress?  The same applies to typical symbolisms.  It has often struck me that we meet with the same symbolisms in different countries, and that associations are readily coined for these although the words are different in the various languages.  These must be more primitive than the other typical symbolisms which are peculiar to one language, and therefore more accidental (e.g. 8 = «MDUL»in Acht nehmen«MDNM».«FN1.××Jones picked up on his interest in symbolism several years later with his important monograph on the subject, see Jones (1916a).  It is interesting to note here that the German word "Acht" means attention, care, or heed, consideration; as well as the number 8.  In the expression «MDUL»in acht nehmen«MDNM» (i.e. to respect, esteem), "Acht" derives from the same root as «MDUL»der Ahn«MDNM» «MDNM»(ancestor) ‑‑ der Ahn is someone who demands our respect.  On the other hand, the number 8 (Acht) derives from the Greek octo.  For Freud's use of "ahnen," see note 3 to letter 209.

»).  Pardon me for my presumption in making these suggestions, for I know they must have occurred to you.

I sent the Boston Dream article to the English «MDUL»Review of Neurology«MDNM», for every little counts in spreading the gospel, but I am very dissatisfied with it.  I am more pleased with the extended one I recently sent to Hall, which will appear in April.«FN1.××See Jones (1910d) regarding both versions.

»  Brill is writing an article on Wit that will come out in the same number of the «MDUL»American Journal of Psychology«MDNM».«FN1.××The paper did not appear in the «MDUL»American Journal of Psychology«MDNM», see Brill (1911).

»  If you ever see this journal look up the January number, where Hall has written a personal appreciation of you (unsigned) à propos of the «MDUL»Schriften zur angewandten Seelenkunde«MDNM».«FN1.××[Unsigned review of freudian literature],  «MDUL»American Journal of Psychology«MDNM», 21 (1910):168‑170.

»  I am at present busy on the paper for the «MDUL»Psycholo­gical Bulletin«MDNM» on "Freud's Psychology",«FN1.××Jones (1910h).

» and find it excessively difficult.  I so much want to do it well, and realise my incapacity to do it justice very keenly indeed.  I am sending you two reprints of the Hamlet article «FN1.××Jones (1910a).

» in case anyone else in Wien might like a copy (? can Rank read English).  It is much enlarged since you saw it.

I have just read with great pleasure the new edition of the «MDUL»Psychopathologie des Alltagslebens«MDNM».  May I give two little personal instances.  You say that in my letter to you I talked of meeting Modena at München «MDUL»ten«MDNM» years ago.  Assuming that you have not misread my bad handwriting this is of course a Verschreiben for «MDUL»two«MDNM» years (Nov. 19O7).  It is ten years since I qualified as a doctor.  Ten years has no other relation to psychopathology, for I was interested in general neurology and psychology throughout my student days, but only became interested in psychopathology in 19O3‑4.  I interpret the Verschreiben as indicating a wish that the München experience was longer ago; I therefore put it at the beginning of my career.  It was early in 19O7 namely that I just got acquainted with your work, and so am justified in calling that year the beginning of my knowledge of psychopathology.  I certainly wish it were longer ago, so that I hadn't wasted the earlier years and could now have had more |×A experience. «FN1.××In his historical writings Jones suggests that his experience in the practice of psychoanalysis dates from 1905‑1906.  Consider several passages from his later years: "I well remember the first patient with whom I practised the new therapy [psychoanalysis], surely the first person to be analysed outside of German‑speaking countries (1905‑6)." (Jones, 1945, p. 9); "In that year, 1905, forty‑eight years ago, I ventured on the practice of psycho‑analysis.  I well remember my first case, the first one to be analysed outside of German‑speaking countries." (Jones, 1954, p. 202); "The first case [Jones's] to be analysed outside German‑speaking countries (1905‑6) was one of conversion hysteria." (Jones, 1955a, p. 28, 1955b, p. 31); and "I began practising his method [Freud's] at the end of 1906 and well remember my first patient..." (Jones, 1959, p. 162).  For a discussion of the historical issues related to Jones's first attempts at practising psychoanalysis, see Paskauskas (1985, pp. 104‑120).  See also the passage associated with note 3 to letter 190.

»

Another more unusual instance is the following.  From about the age of 12 until almost the present I had the obsession never to write anything, a letter, address an envelope, school task, etc., without under‑signing it thus _ _ / _ \ .«FN1.××In fact, Jones's signature in every one of his letters to Freud is underscored with this symbol, except  for those he did not sign himself, or in the few cases where there was no room left on the page, all of which are noted in the list of letters at beginning of this volume.

»  I always interpreted it to myself as standing for Science, which I greatly idealised.  I know now that it stands for Sybil, the name of my younger sister.  I have found out by dream analysis that when she was born, when I was 3  8/12, I had the double phantasy that she was my child (a) from my mother and myself, (b) from the doctor and myself.  A masochistic dream relating to the doctor is given (in a slightly changed form) in my dream article in Hall's journal.«FN1.××See Jones (1910d, pp. 301‑305) and Jones, «MDUL»Papers«MDNM», 5th ed., pp. 237‑240.  See also note 9 to letter 6.

»  All my life I have treated my sister as my father treated us, i.e. very impatiently and arrogantly, and although I am very fond of her have never been able to live with her, until last year, without quarelling, on this account.  In writing, which with me is very directly sexually symbolic, I therefore put her «MDUL»below«MDNM» me, in a double sense (a) as my child (b) erotically.  What do you think of that?

I am collecting material for an article on «MDUL»Psycho­pa­tho­logie des Alltagslebens«MDNM» that I hope to write in about six months time.«FN1.××Jones (1911g).

»  Before that I have three others to do: (1) Dreams and psychopathology for the American Medico‑Psychological Association in May.  (2) |×A and Education, I have been asked to write for the new «MDUL»Journal of Educational Psychology«MDNM».  I have as yet no idea what to say. (3) General Conception of the Psychoneuroses for the Canadian Medical Association in June.«FN1.××The first paper was not delivered.  For the other two, see Jones (1910f, 1910k).

»  Could you perhaps spare the time sometime to help me in this by adding a little to what you have written on neurasthenia, especially (a) the clinical side of the aetiology.  How long after cessation of masturbation can the symptoms continue?  I suppose you make psychical conflict essential for its production? (b) definition of symptoms, (c) treatment.

With apologies for troubling you so much,  and with my warmest regards  I am  Your ever  Ernest Jones.