An important study which should be read in the original. The first part is a very understanding presentation of the phenomena of birth and of infantile auto-erotism, in which the importance attached to respiratory libido is especially noteworthy. In the second section he terms the stage of psychical equilibrium the vegetative state, discusses sleep, and distinguishes three phases in the development of the infantile mind: (1) The vegetative one, (2) the nutri-excretal one comprising the activity of the erotogenic zones, (3) that in which activity of the skin and special senses are added. The third section deals with love and hate. It is suggested that dementia praecox represents a failure in passing from the second to the third stage indicated above. Distinctions are drawn between oral love and anal love and between oral hate and anal hate.