vii

INTRODUCTION

In 1907 when I became Freud’s translator, the present volume
was the standard work for those who aspired to become specialists
in the virgin field of psychoanalysis. The cases and theories in the
Studien über Hysterie were read, studied and discussed in the
psychoanalytic circle of Zurich, where I first saw the crepuscular
light of psychoanalysis. But, at that time Freud was no longer
collaborating with Breuer, his former teacher and friend, to whom
he pays so much homage and gives so much credit whenever he
speaks about the early period of the psychoanalytic movement.

When I discussed with Professor Freud the material to be
included in the first book that I was to translate into English, I found
that the first chapter (13 pages) which we wished to include in
“The Selected Papers on Hysteria and Other Psychoneuroses,”¹
formed part of the Studien über Hysterie. Unlike the other chapters
written separately by each author, this was the only chapter of this
book which was written conjointly by both Breuer and Freud. It
was, therefore, necessary to obtain Dr. Breuer’s permission for this
translation, and as Professor Freud could not personally introduce
me to his former friend and teacher, I felt somewhat uneasy when I
called upon Dr. Breuer. I was naturally very anxious to translate
the first book on psychoanalysis into English and feared lest
Dr. Breuer would place some obstacle in the way of my ambitious
project. But when I met this venerable gentleman, he received me
very graciously, listened attentively to my rather nervous recital, and
although he did not seem very enthusiastic about my undertaking,
he readily granted my request and wished me luck in this new
venture. The whole interview was quite pleasant; yet, when I left
him, my feeling of relief was tinged with considerable tension. In
my anxiety to gain my end, I seemingly forgot to tell him that I only
needed his permission for the translation of the first chapter of the
Studien. I felt that I was not specific enough in detailing my request;
indeed, I was somewhat uncertain about what I had said to him.
But I had his written permission, and, therefore, dismissed these
vague thoughts.

¹Monograph Series No. 2.

viii

Yet, as I prepared the translation, and even after “The
Selected Papers” had been published, I was again and again annoyed
by the visits of this ghost, which always made me feel somewhat
guilty. I was wont to allay my pangs of conscience by saying to
myself that not all of Freud’s own contributions to the Studien über
Hysterie were incorporated into “The Selected Papers.” As a
matter of fact, only 122 pages of the Studien über Hysterie were put
into English. The rest of Freud’s cases and Breuer’s clinical and
theoretical material, especially his classical case of Anna O., had
never been translated into English.¹⁾

There is no need of entering into what happened after the
“Selected Papers” appeared in English in 1909. I then devoted
all my leisure time to the translation of Freud’s other works,²⁾ and
perforce played an active part in the development of the psycho-
analytic movement. But the old ghost refused to remain buried.
Now and then, it came to life and annoyed me with the thought that
I had deliberately kept from Breuer the fact that I did not intend
to translate any of his works. Moreover, for many years physicians,
psychologists and laymen read the Studien über Hysterie, and when
they discovered that the greater part of this work had never been
translated, they either wrote to Professor Freud, to the publishers,
or to me and expressed the wish to translate it. As a matter of fact,
this volume is most valuable not only to all students of psycho-
analysis, but to all those who are interested in the development of
psychopathology in general. To the psychoanalyst it is the fons et

¹⁾The need for stressing this statement seems justified by the fact that even
serious students of psychoanalysis are under the erroneous impression that
this work has already been translated into English. The reader may refer
here to the footnote on page 10 of the translation of Dr. Fenichel’s Clinical
Psychoanalysis.

²⁾Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex—1910. New edition. Nervous
and Mental Disease Pub. Co., 1936.
The Interpretation of Dreams—1912. New translation, 3rd edition, George
Allen and Unwin, Ltd., London, and the Macmillan Co., New York, 1933.
The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Macmillan Co., New York, and
Fisher, Unwin, London, 1914.
Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious. Moffat, Yard, New York, 1916.
Leonardo da Vinci, Moffat, Yard, New York, 1916. New translation with
introduction, Dodd, Mead and Co., New York, 1932.
The History of the Psychoanalytic Movement. Monograph Series, Nervous
and Mental Disease Pub. Co., 1916.
Totem and Taboo. Moffat, Yard Co., New York, 1917.
Reflections on War and Death (with Alfred Kuttner). Moffat, Yard,
New York, 1918.
Psychoanalysis: Exploring the Hidden Mysteries of the Mind. Encyclo-
pædia Britannica, 1924.

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INTRODUCTION

origo of everything that was later formulated, while to the psycho
pathologist it gives a comprehensive view of the theories and clinical
concepts of the neuroses in the beginning of the 20th century.
For in developing their new technique and theories the authors have
thoroughly discussed and evaluated the views of their predecessors
and contemporaries. The present generation of psychopathologists
will surely be interested in the valuable contributions of such pioneers
as Benedikt, Binet, Cabanis, Janet, Moebius, Oppenheim and others.
In addition, this book contains Freud’s first contributions to
analysis. The cases he gives here seem at first sight simple in com-
parison to his later works, but one must not forget that it is from
this material that he constructed his whole system of psychoanalysis.
Indeed, it is fascinating and instructive to see the patience and acumen
displayed by the master in the very beginning of his psychoanalytic
career. I am sure that the younger generation of psychoanalysts,
many of whom are steeped in theoretical speculations, will greatly
benefit by the clinical material and the theoretical principles soberly
presented here by the master.

Last, but not least, in paying my debt to the shade of Dr. Joseph
Breuer, I am not just easing my conscience, but I am presenting to
the reader of today a pioneer, who not only introduced the greatest
movement in the history of psychopathology, but whose views are
as refreshing and instructive today as they were revolutionary and
novel at the end of the 19th century.

A. A. Brill.