4 May 191O  The New Willard  Washington DC

Dear Professor Freud,

«IP4,0»As this letter is being written only an hour after an exciting Freudian debate, please forgive me if the perseverating affect leads me to make it too personal a recital of my recent experiences.  First, however, let me thank you for your delightful letter I got last week.  It was excellent news about the movement in Europe, and the successful congress.  It is a little difficult for us to see what the «MDUL»two«MDNM» new journals are for, but, as Brill put it: "You bet those fellows over there know what they're up to".  About the American Verein: I do not wish to be conservative, but I am not sure that it wouldn't be better to postpone that for another year or so.  We are too few, and too far about, to meet more than once a year, and a Verein in one place would mean the gathering of undesirable outsiders who would waste all the time in questions.  Putnam and Hoche [Hoch] both think that, too.  Still if it would be a help to the Internat. Vereinigung to have a sub‑section in U. S. A. we could make one formally and meet once a year.  Things are a little in the transition period just now, and I am sure that shortly there will be a real need for at least two in the U. S. A.

Now for news.  Monday morning May 2, was formed a new American Psychopathological Association, with 4O members. «MDNM»«FN1.××Consider the various accounts provided by Jones in his historical writings, regarding the founding of the Association.  On one occasion he wrote that "...I had the idea of founding the American Psychopathological Association, and, with the help of Brill, Hoch, Morton Prince and Putnam, the first meeting was held in May, 1910." (Jones, 1945, p. 10); in his biography of Freud he referred to "the new American Psychopathological Association I was just founding" (Jones 1955a, p. 58; 1955b, p. 64); and, in his autobiography, he wrote that "On the whole my centre was Boston... I used my influence there to found the American Psychopathological Association..." Jones (1959, p. 234).  The issue of Jones's involvement in the founding of the Association is treated in Eugene Taylor, "Who founded the American Psychopathological Association?," «MDUL»Comprehensive«MDNM» «MDUL»Psychi­atry«MDNM», 27 (1986):439‑445; for a synopsis of the events and other personalities involved, see Samuel W. Hamilton, "Notes on the History of the American Psychopathological Association: 1910‑1931," «MDUL»Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease«MDNM», 102 (1945):30‑53.  See also note 6 to letter 7 and note 9 to letter 23.»  Papers were read as follows.  Dreams, Prince.  Dreams, Waterman.  Sexual Symbolism in Dreams, Putnam (full of beautiful examples).  Anxiety Neuroses, Brill, with a pretty analysis of a phobia by means of a dream. Action of Suggestion in Psychotherapy, self (à la Ferenczi).«FN1.××See Prince (1910), Waterman (1910), Brill (1910b), and Jones (1910‑11a) à la Ferenczi (1909).  Putnam's paper seems not to have been published.

»  I have found many pretty little things in relation to the latter, e.g. animal magnetism was named after metal magnets; the word magnet comes, via the Greek, from two Phoenoecian roots mag = powerful man, and naz = that which pours out, and influences something else!«FN1.××A more elaborate discussion on the 'magnet' is contained in Jones (1910‑11a), see Jones, «MDUL»Papers«MDNM», 2nd ed. 1918, pp. 340‑341.»  The discussion was altogether Freudian, and went quite smoothly.  A committee was appointed of Prince, Waterman, Allan, Meyer, Hoche [Hoch], Putnam and myself, in which you see your interests are fairly well represented.  We chose a set subject for next year's meeting: The Pathogenesis of Morbid Anxiety; rapporteurs, Sidis, Donley and myself.  Five Honorary members are elected: Freud, Jung, Janet, Forel and Claparède; Switzerland comes out strong.

I was elected member of the American Neurological Association, which is rather an honour, as they usually keep men waiting a few years.  At their annual dinner a disagreeable incident occurred, in an after dinner speach by Joseph Collins. «FN1.××Joseph Collins (b. 1866), M. D. 1888 New York University, prominent American neurologist.  He was Professor of Neurology at the Post‑Graduate Medical School, N. Y. C. (1898‑1909), and a past President of the American Neurological Association (1902).

»  He is a N. Y. neurologist, whose wife left him in under a year on account of his coarseness and sadistic brutality; I know about him, for I treated his wife in England by |×A.  He is notorious for his proclivity to indecent jokes.  He made, in the worst taste, a personal attack on poor old Putnam and protested against the Association allowing Putnam to read a paper of "pornographic stories about pure virgins" (another paper to which I shall refer in a minute)."It was time the Assoc. took a firm stand against transcendentalism and supernaturalism, and definitely crushed out Christian Science, Emmanuelism, Freudism, and all that bosh, rot and nonsense", etc., etc.  In a recent paper he described your method which he called "Freunds",«FN1.××In Joseph Collins, "Aphasia," in «MDUL»A System of Medicine«MDNM», ed., William Osler (London: Frowde, Hodder and Stoughton, 1910, p. 315), we find "the name optic aphasia has been given by Freund."» and said you relied on hypnotism.  He is to give a big address in Toronto next month before the Canadian Medical Association, which will be devoted to "stamping out Freudism".«FN1.××Collins (1910).

»  As Canada stinks of puritanism, religion and suppression he will probably arouse some strong prejudices against me there, but I will meet him and do the best I can.

At this morning's meeting of the American Neurological Association Putnam read a most excellent paper on "Recent experiences with Freud's method", beautifully written and quite fearless.«FN1.××Putnam (1910a).

»  There was 1 1/2 hours debate, about l5 men.  A couple, especially Sachs of N. Y., opposed it, a couple were very sympathetic, especially Llewelys Barker of Baltimore, «FN1.××Bernard Sachs, M. D. 1882 University of Strassburg, past President of the American Neurological Association (1894).  Llewelys Franklin Barker, Canadian born, American neurologist, M. B. 1890 and M. D. 1905 (honorary) University of Toronto; he was Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University (1905‑1913), and past President of the American Neurological Association (1916).

» and the most sat on the fence "valuable aid in severe cases, but all sorts of dangers and disadvantages", etc.  Someone said the Assoc. should be thankful that a man of Dr. Putnam's high ethical motives had probed and tested it for us, and this aroused the heartiest applause.  There were many stupid things said, but nothing unpleasant or personal.  Meyer and Hoch were there but didn't speak; Collins was not there (nor Brill who had gone home).  My speech dealt chiefly with general questions of resistance etc., and was very well received; in fact quite half the meeting warmly congratulated me after.  Putnam replied in detail to the points, and was very clear and persuasive.  The feeling of the meeting was certainly more fair‑minded than might have been expected, and, as many of the men said after, "The Freudians won hands down".  Outside the meetings your work as been all the week in the centre of interest, and I am bombarded with questions.  Many men are strongly in favour, and are trying hard to learn it (Coriat, Waterman, D'Orsay Hecht, etc.).  I met a man, Sidney Schwab,«FN1.××Isador H. Coriat (1875‑1943), M. D. 1900 Tufts College Medical School, trained in neurology and psychiatry, important American psychoanalyst in Boston from 1913 onward; D'Orsay Hecht, M. D. 1898 Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, and later Associate Professor of Nervous and Mental Disorders; Sidney I. Schwab, M. D. 1896 Harvard, President of the American Neurological Association (1921).

» Chicago, who said he was your first American supporter, having studied under you in 1899, when you read out the «MDSU»«MDUL»Traumdeutung«MDNM» in manuscript.  He says he has ever since been trying your method, but finds it too difficult, and can get no results.  How would you explain that?

On Saturday (May 7) I read a paper on Epilepsy, chiefly following Maeder, at the National Association for the Study of Epilepsy,«MDNM»«FN1.××Jones (1910j).

» which meets at Baltimore.  Spiller of Philadelphia «FN1.××William Gibson Spiller, M. D. 1892 University of Pennsylvania Medical School, editor of «MDUL»Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease«MDNM», past President of the American Neurological Association (1905).

» then wants me to visit him there, but I don't think I shall have time.  He was with you in Wien 1893, and sends his compliments to you.  I spent then a couple of days at Wards' Island, with Campbell and Hoch, and shall of course see much of Brill.  I am sharing a room with Hoch this week here, and like him very much indeed.  He is a quite convinced Freudian and understands the work, but he recognises that he has not had enough experience to "feel the attitude", as he put it very clearly.  He read an excellent paper on Psychogenesis of Dementia Praecox this morning, giving the fullest credit to you and Jung all through, and relating a neat sexual analysis of a case.«FN1.××August Hoch, "On Some Mental Mechanisms in Dementia Praecox," «MDUL»Journal of Abnormal Psychology«MDNM», 5(1910):255‑273.

»  Jung made a valuable impression on him in Zürich this winter, but I do not think their rapport was quite perfect; still I feel sure that he has no serious resistances, and that he will be a good supporter.  Probably Jung told you he suffers from a phobia.  Adolf Meyer I like less and less.  He bores me, which is the most unpardonable crime in civilised society.  I am sure he does not understand your work at all, and I don't think he will ever overcome his resistances (ego‑complex); they show themselves in the most stupid little objections.  He read a paper today on D. P.,«FN1.××Meyer (1910b).

» very dull, obscure, and general ‑‑ nothing in it.  "There are two routes to investigate these matters, Freud and Jung's referring to concrete experiences, and my own dealing with habit‑reactions".«FN1.××In the published version the wording of the above passage is altered significantly, although the meaning remains roughly the same, see Meyer (1910b, p. 280).»  It is Bezzola over again.«FN1.××Dumeng Bezzola (1861‑1936), Swiss psychiatrist, studied hysterical phenomena, critized heavily by Freud and Jung, see McGuire (1974, pp. 29, 32, 50, 53, 85, 93, 114, 115).

»

Did I tell you I was giving 12 lectures on the Psycho‑neuroses before the Hamilton Med. Society (Ontario).?  They are going very well so far; it is easy to make a good impression when you have your men under your eye and can explain difficulties; especially with general practitioners who have to take what one says as the pure Gospel.

I am sure that is quite enough news for one time.  The movement is bound to go forward in America, and I only wish I could do more for it in England.  Perhaps, some day?  I dearly long to go back there.

With warmest greetings  from  Yours always  Ernest Jones.