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These are the Goulstonian lectures delivered before the Royal College
of Physicians. The chief aim is directed towards a criticism of the validity of psycho-analysis.
The first lecture traces the history of psychopathology from the days of magic through magnetism, mesmerism, hypnotism, and suggestion.
In lecture II the history is further traced through the schools of Dubois, Dejerine, Janet, etc., to the school of Freud. Most of the second and third lectures deal with a discussion of the Freudian theories. A short but accurate description of the history of psycho-analysis, from the abreaction period to the complicated structure built up in the libido theory, is given.
The question of how far the Freudian doctrines are consonant with the requirements of science is discussed at length. It is of immense importance to ascertain how far the facts observed by Freud justify his conclusions. If Freud is right then his work must be placed amongst the great achievements of the world.
A critical review of the Freudian theories begins with the conception of the unconscious. This is upheld as a justifiable conception to explain phenomena. The criticisms levelled at this conception, by those who denounce it as an absurdity resulting in a contradiction in terms, arise chiefly from a confusion of thought. The unconscious is not a phenomenal reality, but a concept to explain phenomenal reality, just as the ether is to explain the phenomena of light and sound. The question whether Freud's particular conception is valid is another matter. Great emphasis is here attached to whether Freud's conception is based upon accurately observed facts, whether it explains these facts, and whether the deductions which follow from it when tested by experience and experiment can always be verified. These are the only relevant criteria by which Freud's concept can be estimated. It is pointed out that the theories of conflict and repression and their effects on consciousness and behaviour hav