An account of the analysis of a two-year-old boy whose main symptom was chronic constipation. His training in cleanliness had been left to a nursemaid who apparently believed in violence. The processes of excretion were certainly a paramount preoccupation with Georg, who 'at the beginning of the treatment was at the anal stage'. One game played an especially important part in the analysis. Although suggested by the boy's play, it was essentially initiated and exploited by the analyst. It consisted in the analyst performing symbolic acts of defecation (shaking wooden beads out of her sleeve). By questioning his ability to do likewise, she challenged his (excessive) narcissism and his ambition so that these now became concentrated on expulsion. The author attributes the rapid disappearance of the symptom to this device which, she considers, may prove a valuable aid in many cases if properly applied. Inasmuch as Georg was still 'at the anal stage' when the treatment ended, the author refuses to speculate on his chances of dealing successfully with genital Oedipus conflicts.